Black-footed tree-rat
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Mesembriomys
Species:
M. gouldii
Binomial name
Mesembriomys gouldii
(Gray, 1843)[1]
Synonyms

Hapalotis hirsutus Gould, 1842

The black-footed tree-rat (Mesembriomys gouldii), also known as Djintamoonga,[2] is one of two endemic Australian rodent species in the genus Mesembriomys. Both the black-footed tree-rat and its congener, the golden-backed tree-rat (M. macrurus), are found in northern Australia. The species is one of the largest murids found in Australia.[3]

Haematological and blood chemistry research has been performed on the black-footed tree-rat to aid in the captive and natural management of Australian native murids held in captivity for conservation purposes.[4]

Description

The tree-rat has a greyish-brown coat that is shaggy and coarse and has a creamy white underbelly. The hind feet are black with well developed pads and strong sharp claws. They have large ears and a long tail with a brush of white hair at the tip.[3] They grow to a mass of 830 grams (29 oz).[5] The head and body length of the tree-rat is typically 250 to 308 millimetres (9.8 to 12.1 in) with a tail length of 100 to 130 millimetres (3.9 to 5.1 in).[6][7]

Three subspecies of the black-footed tree-rat have been recognised, based on minor morphological differences in skull and foot shape, as well as variation in colouration. Research into the population genomics of the species agrees with the subspecific delimitation,[8] with the Gulf of Carpentaria separating the Queensland subspecies from the other mainland subspecies found in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The third subspecies is found on Melville Island in the Northern Territory.

Behaviour

The black-footed tree-rat is typically solitary and nocturnal, although multiple individuals can sometimes be found denning in the same hollow or fallen log.[9] Individuals are semi-arboreal, but spend time on the ground foraging or moving between trees. The species typically shelters in tree hollows (typically Eucalyptus miniata or E. tetrodonta) and pandanus stands during the day.[5][6][9]

Individuals have a mean home range area of about 40 hectares, although this can vary considerably.[10][11]

Feeding

It is a folivore and frugivore and its diet may be supplemented by invertebrates such as termites and molluscs.

Distribution

Mesembriomys gouldii has a range extending from the savannahs of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland westward to the Kimberley region of Western Australia.[6] Habitats such as tropical woodlands or open forest are suitable for the tree rat,[5] although it persists well in the more complex coastal vine thickets and closed forests. It is not common in many areas and many geographic regions show substantial population declines. One study in the Northern Territory found that the extent of occurrence had declined by over 30% compared to the pre-European distribution, and that breadth of occupied environmental space had declined by over 40%.[12] The same study observed that the species was contracting to areas of higher rainfall, milder temperatures, and higher vegetation complexity than it was present in historically.

Genetic estimation of effective population size trajectories in four black-footed tree-rat populations showed that most populations are undergoing severe declines, although the population around the city of Darwin in the Northern Territory appears to have been more stable.[8]

The estimated global population is 30,000,[6] although the distribution and density is poorly known in Western Australia and Queensland, where records are far more sparse.

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 Woinarski, J.; Burbidge, A.A. (2016). "Mesembriomys gouldii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T13211A22448856. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T13211A22448856.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Mesembriomys gouldii gouldii – Black-footed Tree-rat (Kimberley and mainland Northern Territory), Djintamoonga". Biodiversity – Species Profile and Threats Database. Department of the Environment. 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Black-footed tree-rats" (PDF). Northern Territory Government. July 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Tulk, Melissa L.; Stannard, Hayley J.; Old, Julie M. (2 September 2016). "Haematology and serum biochemistry in captive Australian native murids: black-footed tree-rat (Mesembriomys gouldii) and greater stick-nest rat (Leporillus conditor)". SpringerPlus. 5 (1): 1479. doi:10.1186/s40064-016-3111-7. ISSN 2193-1801. PMC 5010547. PMID 27652053. S2CID 20747015.
  5. 1 2 3 Brydie Hill (2012). "Threatened Species of the Northern Territory – Mesembriomys gouldii" (PDF). Northern Territory Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Black-footed Tree-rat". Australian Wildlife Conservancy. 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  7. ↑ Gynther, Ian; Baker, Andrew; Van Dyck, Steve, eds. (2013). Field Companion to the Mammals of Australia. Queensland University of Technology, Queensland Museum. Sydney, N.S.W.: New Holland Publishers. ISBN 978-1-877069-81-9. OCLC 858786839.
  8. 1 2 von Takach, Brenton; Sargent, Holly; Penton, Cara E.; Rick, Kate; Murphy, Brett P.; Neave, Georgina; Davies, Hugh F.; Hill, Brydie M.; Banks, Sam C. (10 March 2023). "Population genomics and conservation management of the threatened black-footed tree-rat (Mesembriomys gouldii) in northern Australia". Heredity. 130 (5): 278–288. doi:10.1038/s41437-023-00601-0. ISSN 1365-2540. PMC 10162988. PMID 36899176. S2CID 257438419.
  9. 1 2 Penton, C. E. (2020). "Overlapping den tree selection by three declining arboreal mammal species in an Australian tropical savanna". Journal of Mammalogy. 101 (4): 1165–1176. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyaa074. PMC 7528645. PMID 33033470. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  10. ↑ Rankmore, Brooke (2006). "Impacts of habitat fragmentation on the vertebrate fauna of the tropical savannas of Northern Australia; with special reference to medium-sized mammals". doi:10.25913/5EB21E7010E3B. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ↑ Griffiths, A. D.; Koenig, J.; Carrol, F.; Price, O. (2001). "Activity area and day-time tree use of the black-footed tree-rat Mesembriomys gouldii". Australian Mammalogy. 23 (2): 181–183. doi:10.1071/am01181. ISSN 1836-7402.
  12. ↑ von Takach, Brenton; Scheele, Ben C.; Moore, Harry; Murphy, Brett P.; Banks, Sam C. (2020). Benítez López, Ana (ed.). "Patterns of niche contraction identify vital refuge areas for declining mammals". Diversity and Distributions. 26 (11): 1467–1482. doi:10.1111/ddi.13145. hdl:1885/286535. ISSN 1366-9516. S2CID 221758373. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023.

Bibliography

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