Lagorchestes hirsutus, Gould, 1844

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Macropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 630-735 : 721-722

44.

Rufous Hare Wallaby

Lagorchestes hirsutus

French: Wallaby mala / German: Zottel-Hasenkanguru / Spanish: Ualabi liebre rojiza

Other common names: Brown Hare Wallaby, Rufous Hare-wallaby, Mala, Western Hare Wallaby

Taxonomy. Lagorchestes hirsutus Gould, 1844 ,

York District, Western Australia, Australia.

Intraspecific variation has resulted in varying numbers of subspecies (some currently undescribed) being proposed; further study is required. Three subspecies provisionally recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

L.h.hirsutusGould,1844—Extinctinthewild,onceinC&WmainlandAustralia.

Captive-bredindividualsintroducedintoTrimouilleI,MontebelloGroup,WesternAustralia.

L.h.bernieriThomas,1907—BernierI,WesternAustralia.

L. h. dorreae Thomas, 1907 — Dorre I, Western Australia.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 31-36 cm (males) and 36-39 cm (females), tail 26-28 cm (males) and 26-30 cm (females); weight 0.8-1.6 kg (males) and 0.9-1.8 kg (females) for L. h. hirsutus ; head—body 31-36 cm (males) and 36-39 cm (females), tail 26-28 cm (males) and 24.5-30.5 cm (females); weight 1.2-1.8 kg (males) and 0.8-1.9 kg (females) for L. h. bernieri and L. h. dorreae . L. h. hirsutus is a small, long-furred, shaggy hare wallaby. Rufous, flecked with gray dorsally, pale yellow ventrally and on arms. Ears long with white edge, upper lip white. Tail lightly and finely furred, dark reddish brown dorsally, paler ventrally. L. A. bernieri and L. h. dorreae are larger, although tail shorter; gray-brown dorsally, with darker head. Diploid chromosome number is 20.

Habitat. Arid and semi-arid spinifex (7riodia, Poaceae ) hummock grassland and shrubland. Also historically in tussock grassland and woodland. In Tanami Desert, preferred ecotone between mature, dense hummocks on sand dunes and more open or recently burnt vegetation.

Food and Feeding. Selectively feeds on leaves and stems of at least 31 species of perennial grasses, forbs, sedges, and shrubs. Seeds of grasses and sedges, bulbs of sedges, fruit of a parasitic vine, and nectar-rich flowers are also readily consumed when available. Insects occasionally consumed. Green shoots of perennial grasses are selectively grazed after fire or rain. Browse and spinifex leaves utilized increasingly during dry periods, but are low in quality and not preferred. Does not require access to free water.

Breeding. Sexual maturity is reached from five months in females and 14-20 months in males. Females are potentially continuous breeders, producing one young per pregnancy (although twins have been recorded) and up to three young per year. Births occur in all months, but are fewer in drier months (summer and autumn) on Dorre and Bernier Islands, and reproductive success is reduced during periods of low rainfall. Females exhibit embryonic diapause, but length of estrous cycle and gestation period currently unknown. Offspring spend four months in the pouch and are weaned by five months. In captivity, copulation was observed only on a single night each estrus, occurring up to twelve times over 90 minutes, each episode lasting up to 20 seconds. During mating, female lies on her ventral surface, with limbs splayed laterally, but head raised.

Activity patterns. Primarily nocturnal; shelters during day in shallow scrape, or in summer in short (up to 1 m) burrow, dug under spinifex hummock or low shrub, with a nest of vegetation at end. Will also shelter within spinifex hummocks. Emerges at dusk to feed, but may emerge up to several hours before sunset on cool or overcast days. Activity reduced in rain or windy conditions.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Often feeds close to diurnal shelter, but will travel hundreds of meters to feed in recently burned areas or saline flats. Multiple sheltersites used by a single individual over consecutive days. Home ranges (95% harmonic mean) averaged 57-101 ha for males and 29-53 ha for females in a recently reintroduced population. Male ranges tended to be exclusive and to overlap those of several females. Solitary; typically rests and forages alone. In captivity, males emerge from their daytime shelters before females, and in early part of the evening investigate reproductive status of resident females. Captive males sometimes fought briefly but usually avoided each other, and females were not aggressive toward each other, but adults of both sexes attacked juveniles violently.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix I. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The south-west Australian mainland population is listed as extinct, the central Australian population as endangered, and the island populations as vulnerable in Australia. Although originally widespread and common across western and central Australia, the Rufous Hare Wallaby commenced declining in south ofits range in 1930s and was considered extinct on mainland in 1950s. Populations persisted only on Bernier and Dorre Islands, in Shark Bay, Western Australia. This catastrophic decline appears to have resulted from predation by introduced Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) and domestic/ feral cats (Felis catus), as well as habitat degradation wreaked by introduced domestic livestock, European Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), and changes to fires regimes. In 1959, however, two small remnant mainland populations were discovered in Tanami Desert, Northern Territory. These populations were intensively studied in 1980s and a captive population established. In 1987, one remnant population became extinct owing to fox predation, then the other was lost during a wildfire in 1991. The captive population of mainland Rufous Hare Wallabies (nominate hirsutus ) is well established at multiple locations, including within several large enclosures, but attempts to reintroduce this mainland form into the Tanami Desert and several sites in Western Australia were unsuccessful primarily as a result of cat predation. In 1998, captive-bred mainland Rufous Hare Wallabies were successfully introduced to Trimouille Island, and have subsequently spread over the island. The endemic island populations are known to fluctuate widely in size in response to drought, and so remain vulnerable to stochastic extinction. They also have low genetic diversity. These island populations are highly vulnerable to introduction of predators, competitors, disease, or wildfire. Both Dorre Island and Bernier Island are protected areas and access is limited. Several state and national recovery plans have been prepared. Additional research on taxonomy, reproduction, and ecology is required.

Bibliography. Bolton & Latz (1978), Burbidge et al. (1988), Courtenay (1993), Eldridge, Kinnear, Zengeret al. (2004), Gibson, Johnson et al. (1995), Gibson, Lundie-Jenkins et al. (1994), Hardman (2006), Hardman & Moro (2006a, 2006b), Hayman (1989), Johnson & Burbidge (2008b), Johnson et al. (1996), Langford & Burbidge (2001), Lundie-Jenkins (1993a, 1993b, 1993c, 1998), Lundie-Jenkins, Corbett & Phillips (1993), Lundie-Jenkins, Phillips & Jarman (1993), McLean et al. (1993), Menkhorst & Knight (2001), Morris et al. (2004), Pearson (1989), Richards (2012a), Richards, Morris, Friend & Burbidge (2008), Richards, Short et al. (2001), Ride & Tyndale-Biscoe (1962), Short & Turner (1992), Short et al. (1997), Woinarski et al. (2014w, 2014x, 2014y, 20142).

Figures

43. Quokka (Setonix brachyurus), 44. Rufous Hare Wallaby (Lagorchestes hirsutus), 45. Spectacled Hare Wallaby (Lagorchestes conspicillatus), 46. Swamp Wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)

Subspecies and Distribution. L.h.hirsutusGould,1844—Extinctinthewild,onceinC&WmainlandAustralia. Captive-bredindividualsintroducedintoTrimouilleI,MontebelloGroup,WesternAustralia. L.h.bernieriThomas,1907—BernierI,WesternAustralia. L. h. dorreae Thomas, 1907 — Dorre I, Western Australia.