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{{Short description|Genus of mammals (Sminthopsis; marsupials)}}
{{expert needed|Australian biota|date=February 2018}}
{{Automatic Taxobox
{{Automatic Taxobox
| name = Dunnarts<ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 Groves|pages=33–36}}</ref>
| image = Ant lucp.jpg
| image = Ant lucp.jpg
| image_caption = ''[[Sminthopsis leucopus|white-footed dunnart]]''
| image_caption = White-footed dunnart<br/>(''[[Sminthopsis leucopus]]'')
| taxon = Sminthopsis
| taxon = Sminthopsis
| authority = [[Oldfield Thomas|Thomas]], 1887
| authority = [[Oldfield Thomas|Thomas]], 1887
| display_parents = 3
| display_parents = 3
| type_species = ''[[Fat-tailed dunnart|Phascogale crassicaudata]]''
| type_species = ''[[Phascogale crassicaudata]]''
| type_species_authority = [[John Gould|Gould]], 1844
| type_species_authority = [[John Gould|Gould]], 1844
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision = 21, see text
| subdivision = 23, see text
}}
}}


A '''dunnart''' (from [[Noongar language|Noongar]] ''donat''<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Abbott |first=Ian |date=2001 |title=Aboriginal names of mammal species in south-west Western Australia |url=https://library.dbca.wa.gov.au/enwiki/static/Journals/080273/080273-03.019.pdf |journal=CALMScience |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=450–451}}</ref>) is a narrow-footed [[marsupial]] the size of a European mouse, of the genus '''''Sminthopsis'''''. Dunnarts have a largely [[insectivore|insectivorous]] diet.
⚫
'''Dunnarts''' are furry narrow-footed [[marsupial]]s the size of a mouse, members of the genus '''''Sminthopsis'''''. They are mainly [[insectivore|insectivorous]]. A male dunnart's [[Y chromosome]] is the smallest known mammalian Y chromosome.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Toder R. |author2=Wakefield M.J. |author3=Graves J.A.M. |title=The minimal mammalian Y chromosome - the marsupial Y as a model system |journal=Cytogenet Cell Genet |volume=91 |issue=1–4 |pages=285–92 |year=2000 |pmid=11173870 |doi=10.1159/000056858}}</ref>


== Taxonomy ==
== Taxonomy ==
[[File:Fat-tailed_Dunnart_(Sminthopsis_crassicaudata)_(14559441713).jpg|thumb|Fat-tailed dunnart in its natural habitat.]]
⚫
The genus name 'Sminthopsis'' was published by [[Oldfield Thomas]] in 1887, the author noting that the name ''[[Podabrus]]'' that had previously been used to describe the species was preoccupied as a genus of beetles.<ref name="Divljan2015">{{cite journal |last1=Divljan |first1=Anja |last2=Ingleby |first2=Sandy |last3=Parnaby |first3=Harry |title=Taxonomic status of ''Podabrus albocaudatus'' Krefft, 1872 and declaration of ''Sminthopsis granulipes'' Troughton, 1932 (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) as a protected name for the White-tailed Dunnart from Western Australia |journal=Zootaxa |date=6 January 2015 |volume=3904 |issue=2 |pages=283–292 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3904.2.7 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3904.2.7 |language=en |issn=1175-5334}}</ref>

⚫
The genus name ''Sminthopsis'' was published by [[Oldfield Thomas]] in 1887, the author noting that the name ''[[Podabrus]]'' that had previously been used to describe the species was preoccupied as a genus of beetles.<ref name="Divljan2015">{{cite journal |last1=Divljan |first1=Anja |last2=Ingleby |first2=Sandy |last3=Parnaby |first3=Harry |s2cid=30027103 |title=Taxonomic status of ''Podabrus albocaudatus'' Krefft, 1872 and declaration of ''Sminthopsis granulipes'' Troughton, 1932 (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) as a protected name for the White-tailed Dunnart from Western Australia |journal=Zootaxa |date=6 January 2015 |volume=3904 |issue=2 |pages=283–292 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3904.2.7 |pmid=25660785 |language=en |issn=1175-5334|doi-access=free }}</ref>
The type species is ''[[Phascogale crassicaudata]]'', published by [[John Gould]] in 1844.

There are 19 species,{{efn|The list is based on the Third edition of Wilson & Reeder's [[Mammal Species of the World]] (2005) except where both the [https://mammaldiversity.org/ Mammal Diversity Database] and [[International Union for Conservation of Nature|IUCN]] agree on the change.|group=note}} all of them in [[Australia]] or [[New Guinea]]:<ref>{{cite web | title=Sminthopsis longicaudata | publisher=WA Museum Collections | date=2017-02-14 | url=https://museum.wa.gov.au/online-collections/names/sminthopsis-longicaudata | ref={{sfnref | WA Museum Collections | 2017}} | access-date=2020-12-24}}</ref>


==Species==
There are 21 dunnart species, all indigenous to [[Australia]] and some to [[New Guinea]]:
* '''Genus ''Sminthopsis'' '''
* '''Genus ''Sminthopsis'' '''
** ''S. crassicaudata'' species-group
** ''S. crassicaudata'' species-group
*** [[Fat-tailed dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis crassicaudata''
*** [[Fat-tailed dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis crassicaudata]]''
** ''S. macroura'' species-group
** ''S. macroura'' species-group
*** [[Kakadu dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis bindi''
*** [[Kakadu dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis bindi]]''
*** [[Carpentarian dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis butleri''
*** [[Carpentarian dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis butleri]]''
*** [[Julia Creek dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis douglasi''
*** [[Julia Creek dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis douglasi]]''
*** [[Stripe-faced dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis macroura''
*** [[Stripe-faced dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis macroura]]''
*** [[Red-cheeked dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis virginiae''
*** [[Red-cheeked dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis virginiae]]''
** ''S. granulipes'' species-group
** ''S. granulipes'' species-group
*** [[White-tailed dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis granulipes''
*** [[White-tailed dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis granulipes]]''
** ''S. griseoventer'' species-group
** ''S. griseoventer'' species-group
*** [[Kangaroo Island dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis aitkeni''
*** [[Grey-bellied dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis griseoventer]]''
*** [[Boullanger Island dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis boullangerensis''
*** [[Grey-bellied dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis griseoventer''
** ''S. longicaudata'' species-group
** ''S. longicaudata'' species-group
*** [[Long-tailed dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis longicaudata''
*** [[Long-tailed dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis longicaudata]]''
** ''S. murina'' species-group
** ''S. murina'' species-group
*** [[Chestnut dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis archeri''
*** [[Chestnut dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis archeri]]''
*** [[Little long-tailed dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis dolichura''
*** [[Little long-tailed dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis dolichura]]''
*** [[Sooty dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis fuliginosus''
*** [[Sooty dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis fuliginosus]]''
*** [[Gilbert's dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis gilberti''
*** [[Gilbert's dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis gilberti]]''
*** [[White-footed dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis leucopus''
*** [[White-footed dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis leucopus]]''
*** [[Slender-tailed dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis murina''
*** [[Slender-tailed dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis murina]]''
** ''S. psammophila'' species-group
** ''S. psammophila'' species-group
*** [[Hairy-footed dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis hirtipes''
*** [[Hairy-footed dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis hirtipes]]''
*** [[Ooldea dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis ooldea''
*** [[Ooldea dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis ooldea]]''
*** [[Sandhill dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis psammophila''
*** [[Sandhill dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis psammophila]]''
*** [[Lesser hairy-footed dunnart]], ''Sminthopsis youngsoni''
*** [[Lesser hairy-footed dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis youngsoni]]''

== Habitat and location ==
The [[sandhill dunnart]] can be found in sandy, arid and semi-arid regions with [[Triodia (grass)|spinifex grass]] [[hummock]]s in Australia. Because of the dunnart’s distinct and limited habitat needs, spinifex hummocks are an essential part of its environment. It takes shelter from extreme temperatures and humidity within the burrows it digs under larger spinifex hummocks, which range from about 12 to 110 centimeters in length and are up to 46 centimeters deep. Females occasionally dig deeper, creating a chamber typically used for raising their young. Males, however, are known to occupy small burrows dug between spinifex clumps, hollow logs and even burrows dug by other animal species.

With the continual decrease of the spinifex hummock, the species’ territory also decreases and is now currently restricted to [[Eyre Peninsula]] in [[South Australia]], and the [[Great Victoria Desert]] covering South and [[Western Australia]]. It was first sighted in [[Northern Territory]], but it has not been seen there since the late 19th century.

⚫
== Threats ==
Although the exact causes of the decline of the sandhill dunnart are not known, it is likely to be under threat from predation by introduced species such as foxes and cats, [[Habitat destruction|habitat degradation]] due to livestock [[grazing]], and inappropriate [[fire regime]]s. But despite the great damage done to their habitat by the fire regimes, sandhill dunnarts are able to recolonise burnt areas because of their adaptation to mid-successional complexes of vegetation. However, a single fire can wipe out an entire population. As the remnants become increasingly isolated from one another, the lack of connective bush corridors greatly reduces the likelihood of recolonisation. They are a major threat to this species because of its dependence on large spinifex hummocks. In addition, land clearance for agriculture at the Eyre Peninsula has caused a great reduction in viable habitat for the sandhill dunnart, leaving only 43 percent of the area’s original vegetation remaining.

== Conservation status ==
The sandhill dunnart is listed as “endangered” under the [[Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999]]. It is afforded some protection within reserves, such as the [[Yellabinna Wilderness Protection Area]] in South Australia and the Queen Victoria Spring Nature Reserve in the Great Victoria Desert. In 2001, a national recovery plan listing several actions to aid in the recovery of the species was published. These actions included preventing further habitat clearance, conducting surveys in areas likely to support the species, implementing monitoring programs for key populations, and conducting research on captive individuals to increase understanding of this species’ reproductive biology. Experimental burns were also recommended to encourage the growth of suitable spinifex habitat.


Additionally, two species are recognized by the [[American Society of Mammalogists]]:
==Reproduction ==
* [[Froggatt's dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis froggatti]]''<ref>{{cite mdd|id=1000205|title=''Sminthopsis froggatti'' (E. P. Ramsay, 1887)|access-date=20 October 2024}}</ref>
Sandhill dunnarts typically begin breeding in September, with offspring born from September to October. There have been sites where young dunnarts were found in October and April. This information may suggest that with the right conditions in a good season, dunnarts may be able to produce another litter. There is a sixteen- to nineteen-day interval between mating and birth.
* [[Stalker's dunnart]], ''[[Sminthopsis stalkeri]]''<ref>{{cite mdd|id=1000216|title=''Sminthopsis stalkeri'' O. Thomas, 1906|access-date=20 October 2024}}</ref>


The American Society of Mammalogists also lists ''S. griseoventer'' as a [[synonym (taxonomy)|synonym]] of ''S. fuliginosa'',<ref>{{cite mdd|id=1000206|title=''Sminthopsis fuliginosa'' (J. Gould, 1852)|access-date=20 October 2024}}</ref> and moved ''S. longicaudata'' to the genus ''[[Antechinomys]]''.<ref>{{cite mdd|id=1000211|title=''Antechinomys longicaudatus'' (W. B. Spencer, 1909)|access-date=20 October 2024}}</ref>
Sexual maturity for both the male and female dunnart is reached by one year of age. The age at which dunnarts are no longer able to reproduce is undetermined. Cases have been recorded of male dunnarts in captivity that continued to breed at five years of age, and female dunnarts in captivity that continued to breed at three years of age.


==Behavior and diet ==
== Description ==
⚫
A male dunnart's [[Y chromosome]] is the smallest known mammalian Y chromosome.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Toder R. |author2=Wakefield M.J. |author3=Graves J.A.M. |title=The minimal mammalian Y chromosome - the marsupial Y as a model system |journal=Cytogenet Cell Genet |volume=91 |issue=1–4 |pages=285–92 |year=2000 |pmid=11173870 |doi=10.1159/000056858|s2cid=30401023 }}</ref>
The sandhill dunnart is one of the largest species of dunnarts, weighing in from 30 to 55 g. It is recorded that the medium-sized marsupial prefers to eat smaller prey, such as ants, beetles, spiders, grasshoppers, termites, wasps and centipedes. The species is known to be generalist feeders and extremely opportunistic. Being a voracious predator, its diet remains high in all seasons, varying only slightly in proportion.


⚫
== Notes ==
In severe conditions when food is scarce, the dunnart enters short and shallow periods of torpor. The species’ documented states of mental and physical inactivity helps it to conserve water and energy.
{{Notelist|group=note}}


==References==
==References==
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== External links==
== External links==
*[http://www.marsupialsociety.org/checklist.html Marsupial Society's checklist]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130317233606/http://www.marsupialsociety.org/checklist.html Marsupial Society's checklist]


{{Dasyuromorphia|D.S.}}
{{Dasyuromorphia|D.S.}}

Latest revision as of 08:07, 31 October 2024

Dunnart
White-footed dunnart
(Sminthopsis leucopus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Dasyuromorphia
Family: Dasyuridae
Subfamily: Sminthopsinae
Tribe: Sminthopsini
Genus: Sminthopsis
Thomas, 1887
Type species
Phascogale crassicaudata
Gould, 1844
Species

23, see text

A dunnart (from Noongar donat[1]) is a narrow-footed marsupial the size of a European mouse, of the genus Sminthopsis. Dunnarts have a largely insectivorous diet.

Taxonomy

[edit]
Fat-tailed dunnart in its natural habitat.

The genus name Sminthopsis was published by Oldfield Thomas in 1887, the author noting that the name Podabrus that had previously been used to describe the species was preoccupied as a genus of beetles.[2] The type species is Phascogale crassicaudata, published by John Gould in 1844.

There are 19 species,[note 1] all of them in Australia or New Guinea:[3]

Additionally, two species are recognized by the American Society of Mammalogists:

The American Society of Mammalogists also lists S. griseoventer as a synonym of S. fuliginosa,[6] and moved S. longicaudata to the genus Antechinomys.[7]

Description

[edit]

A male dunnart's Y chromosome is the smallest known mammalian Y chromosome.[8]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The list is based on the Third edition of Wilson & Reeder's Mammal Species of the World (2005) except where both the Mammal Diversity Database and IUCN agree on the change.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Abbott, Ian (2001). "Aboriginal names of mammal species in south-west Western Australia" (PDF). CALMScience. 3 (4): 450–451.
  2. ^ Divljan, Anja; Ingleby, Sandy; Parnaby, Harry (6 January 2015). "Taxonomic status of Podabrus albocaudatus Krefft, 1872 and declaration of Sminthopsis granulipes Troughton, 1932 (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) as a protected name for the White-tailed Dunnart from Western Australia". Zootaxa. 3904 (2): 283–292. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3904.2.7. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 25660785. S2CID 30027103.
  3. ^ "Sminthopsis longicaudata". WA Museum Collections. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  4. ^ "Sminthopsis froggatti (E. P. Ramsay, 1887)". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Sminthopsis stalkeri O. Thomas, 1906". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Sminthopsis fuliginosa (J. Gould, 1852)". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  7. ^ "Antechinomys longicaudatus (W. B. Spencer, 1909)". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  8. ^ Toder R.; Wakefield M.J.; Graves J.A.M. (2000). "The minimal mammalian Y chromosome - the marsupial Y as a model system". Cytogenet Cell Genet. 91 (1–4): 285–92. doi:10.1159/000056858. PMID 11173870. S2CID 30401023.
[edit]
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