Woolley's false antechinus (''Pseudantechinus woolleyae''), also known as Woolley's pseudantechinus, is a species of small carnivorous

marsupial Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a po ...

belonging to the family

Dasyuridae The Dasyuridae are a family of marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, including 71 extant species divided into 17 genera. Many are small and mouse-like or shrew-like, giving some of them the name marsupial mice or marsupial shrews, but th ...

. It is found in the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n state of

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 ...

, primarily in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...

, Ashburton and Murchison regions.

Taxonomy

Woolley's false antechinus was, like most

false antechinus The genus ''Pseudantechinus'' are members of the order Dasyuromorphia. They are often called false antechinuses, although this genus includes the sandstone dibbler, which was previously assigned to a different genus. The species of this genus ar ...

es, long believed to be a form of the

fat-tailed false antechinus The fat-tailed false antechinus (''Pseudantechinus macdonnellensis''), also called the fat-tailed pseudantechinus and red-eared antechinus, is a member of the order Dasyuromorphia. It is an inhabitant of western and central Australia. Its species ...

, which it closely resembles. It was not given full species status until 1988. The common and species names honour Dr

Patricia Woolley Patricia Woolley (born 1932) is Australian zoologist recognised for her work with marsupials, specifically the dasyurid family. ''Pseudantechinus woolleyae'' (Woolley's false antechinus) is named for her. Biography Patricia Woolley was born i ...

, an

n expert on these

dasyurid The Dasyuridae are a family of marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, including 71 extant species divided into 17 genera. Many are small and mouse-like or shrew-like, giving some of them the name marsupial mice or marsupial shrews, but th ...

Description

Woolley's false antechinus is the largest

and its behaviour is little known. It has a breeding life of two or more years, unlike many of its relatives which live for a short time. Births occur in September–October and the young are sexually mature at 10 months. Woolley's false antechinus is coloured rich brown above and buff below. It has a flattened tail and chestnut patches behind its ears.

Habitat

Woolley's false antechinus inhabits rocky hillsides, usually vegetated with

acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

scrub or spinifex grass. It is found in the western area of

References

External links

Image of the type specimen's skull
{{Taxonbar, from=Q135135 Dasyuromorphs Mammals of Western Australia Marsupials of Australia Mammals described in 1988 Taxa named by Darrell Kitchener