The fat-tailed false antechinus (''Pseudantechinus macdonnellensis''), also called the fat-tailed pseudantechinus and red-eared antechinus, is a member of the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Dasyuromorphia Dasyuromorphia (, meaning "hairy tail" in Greek) is an order comprising most of the Australian carnivorous marsupials, including quolls, dunnarts, the numbat, the Tasmanian devil, and the thylacine. In Australia, the exceptions include the omn ...

. It is an inhabitant of western and central Australia. Its species name, ''macdonnellensis'', refers to the

MacDonnell Ranges The MacDonnell Ranges, or Tjoritja in Arrernte, is a mountain range located in southern Northern Territory. MacDonnell Ranges is also the name given to an interim Australian bioregion broadly encompassing the mountain range, with an area of .< ...

near

Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

, where it was first discovered.

Taxonomy

Scientific name: ''Pseudantechinus macdonellensis''. Common name: Fat-tailed-antechinus, fat-tailed pseudantechinus. It was first described in 1896 by Sir Walter Baldwin Spencer, who placed it in the genus ''

Phascogale The phascogales (members of the eponymous genus ''Phascogale''), also known as wambengers or mousesacks,A Hollow Victory
...

''. It was for a long time included in the genus ''

Antechinus ''Antechinus'' (// ('ant-echinus')) is a genus of small dasyurid marsupial endemic to Australia. They resemble mice with the bristly fur of shrews. Names They are also sometimes called 'broad-footed marsupial mice', 'pouched mice', or 'Antech ...

''. The species has formerly included the

Alexandria false antechinus The Alexandria false antechinus (''Pseudantechinus mimulus''), also known as the Carpentarian false antechinus or Carpentarian pseudantechinus, is a small carnivorous marsupial, found only in a number of small, isolated localities in northern Au ...

(''P. mimulus''), the

Ningbing false antechinus The Ningbing false antechinus (''Pseudantechinus ningbing''), also known as the Ningbing pseudantechinus, is a small species of carnivorous marsupial found in north-western Australia. It is locally common throughout the Kimberley region of West ...

(''P. ningbing''), and

Woolley's false antechinus Woolley's false antechinus (''Pseudantechinus woolleyae''), also known as Woolley's pseudantechinus, is a species of small carnivorous marsupial belonging to the family Dasyuridae. It is found in the Australian state of Western Australia, primar ...

(''P. woolleyae''). The ''P. macdonellensis'' is commonly found in the rocky environments of Central Australia. It is presumed to have a large population, and generally lives within the confines of protected areas. Therefore, it is unlikely to decline at the rate needed to be listed as an endangered species.

Description

The fat-tailed false antechinus is a medium-sized dasyurid marsupial that ranges from , and has a life span of about seven years.is 9.5-10.5 cm long with a 7.5-8.5 cm tail; it weighs 20-45g. It has a carrot-shaped tail swollen with fat which serves as a food reserve. Its fur is grey-brown. It has litters of up to six young, born in July–September (slightly later further west in the range). It is an insectivorous and nocturnal species.

Habitat

The ''P. macdonellensis'' is commonly found in the rocky environments of Central Australia. In addition it is found throughout

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

and

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. An outlying population in more coastal areas of

has been reclassified as a new species,

Rory Cooper's false antechinus Rory Cooper's false antechinus (''Pseudantechinus roryi''), also known as the tan false antechinus and the tan pseudantechinus, is a recently named species of small carnivorous marsupial which inhabits rocky outcrops in Western Australia. Nothin ...

(''P. roryi''). The species inhabits rocky slopes and plains.

Diet

The ''P. macdonellensis'' is generally an insectivore whose diet consists of beetles, grasshoppers, and termites. A characteristic specific to this kind of species is its ability to store fat in its tail when food is plentiful.

Torpor

In the winter most free ranging ''P. macdonellensis'' go into a state of torpor after midnight within the confines of rock crevices, and stay there until day breaks. In the morning, while they are still torpid, they move from the rock-crevices to basking sites exposed to the sun. Subsequently, this type of basking continues for the rest of the day. It appears that daily torpor is done in order to reduce the amount of daily expenditure by about 30%, and allows the species to live and reproduce in a challenging environment. It has also been observed that the species goes into a state of torpor in circumstances in which the species finds itself under acute energetic stress.

Gestation

Males and females of the subdivision ''P. macdonellensis'' reach sexual maturity at about 350 days of age. A single gestation period takes about 43 days in the females, and produces a single litter of about six. The interval in between gestation periods is about 365 days.

References

External links

Ageing, longevity and life history of ''Pseudantechinus macdonnellensis''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q133197 Dasyuromorphs Mammals of Western Australia Mammals of South Australia Mammals of the Northern Territory Marsupials of Australia Mammals described in 1896 Taxa named by Walter Baldwin Spencer