The short-furred dasyure (''Murexia longicaudata''), also known as the short-haired marsupial mouse, is a member of the order
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 was once recognised as the only species in the genus ''Murexia'',
[ but now five species are recognised.]Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
and Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
.
Description
Males weigh 114–434g, while the much smaller females only weigh 57–88g. Its fur is a dull grayish brown on top, and its belly is a light beige. Its long, sparsely haired tail has a few long hairs at the tip.
Habitat and Behaviour
The short-furred dasyure inhabits forests of all types from lowlands to elevations of 2,200 m. It typically nests high in the canopy, but may also shelter on the ground. Females can mate all year round. Up to four young are born per litter, which grow up in the mother's pouch.
Conservation Status
Its population is considered stable, so the species is listed as "Least Concern" by the IUCN.
Systematics
The short-furred dasyure used to form the genus Murexia together with the broard-striped dasyure. In 2005, Colin Groves
Colin Peter Groves (24 June 1942 – 30 November 2017) was a British-Australian biologist and anthropologist. Groves was Professor of Biological Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.
Education
Born in Englan ...
divided the genus Murexia into two monotypic genera, Murexia for the short-furred dasyure and Paramurexia for the broad-striped dasyure
The broad-striped dasyure (''Murexia rothschildi'') is a species of marsupial in the family Dasyuridae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.
Some authorities place it in the monotypic
...
, based on cladistic analyses. However, genetic studies continue to support an aggregation of both species in the genus Murexia.
References
External links
*
Columbia Encyclopedia entry
Dasyuromorphs
Mammals of Papua New Guinea
Mammals of Western New Guinea
Mammals described in 1866
Marsupials of New Guinea
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