Petrogale persephone, Maynes, 1982

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 : 710-711

30.

Proserpine Rock Wallaby

Petrogale persephone

French: Wallaby proserpine / German: Proserpine-Felskanguru / Spanish: Ualabi rupestre de Proserpine

Other common names: Prosperine Rock-wallaby, Tree Kangaroo (locally)

Taxonomy. Petrogale persephone Maynes, 1982 ,

base of Mount Dryander, 9-6 km north of Proserpine, central Queensland Australia.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. NE Australia, mountain ranges E and W of Proserpine, C coastal Queensland; also Gloucester I.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 49-2-63:3 cm (males) and 52:6-60.3 cm (females), tail 56.4-70.9 cm (males) and 51-566 cm (females); weight 4.3-10.2 kg (males) and 3.5-8.1 kg (females). Dark gray with a mauve tinge dorsally, paler ventrally. Arms, legs, and rump often brownish. Dark dorsal stripe from forehead to shoulders. Back of ears dark brown to black with lighter brown edge, external base light rufous-brown. Dark axillary patch. Dorsal surface of tail, paws, and feet dark brown to black;tail paler ventrally, generally with white tip. Diploid chromosome number is 22.

Habitat. Rocky outcrops, boulder piles, rocky slopes, cliffs, and gorges within semideciduous vine thickets, the outer margins of lowland rainforest, or disturbed areas of rainforest. Often near more open grassy areas. On Gloucester Island inhabits rocky outcrops within Acacia (Fabaceae) woodland with occasional dry rainforest elements.

Food and Feeding. Generalist browser/grazer feeding on wide variety of plant species (at least 142), including grasses, leaves of trees, shrubs and vines, forbs, fruit, flowers, and occasionally fungi. Grasses and tree leaves are the most significant dietary items, although on Gloucester Island shrubs are more important than grass. During wet season more grass is consumed, while during dry season fallen leaves on forest floor, or browsed from saplings, shrubs, vines, and accessible trees, predominate. During dry season no free water exists on Gloucester Island, so moisture must be obtained from food and dew.

Breeding. Females reach sexual maturity at ¢.21 months and males at ¢.25 months. Females breed continuously throughout year, producing one young per pregnancy. Exhibits embryonic diapause and post-partum estrus, females usually mating within 36 hours of giving birth. Estrous cycle is 33-38 (mean 36) days and gestation 30-34 (mean 32) days. Young spend around seven months in the pouch, then accompany the mother as a young-at-foot until after they are weaned, at 11-12 months. Adult males are significantly larger than adult females, suggesting intense competition among males for access to females. In captivity, dominant males were observed to mate first with an estrous female.

Activity patterns. Timid and rarely seen. Largely nocturnal in summer, crepuscular or partially diurnal in other months. Regularly basks in morning sun in cooler months. Shelters during day in caves, in crevices, and within rock piles. Moves off the rocks around dusk to feed during night, often in grassy eucalypt woodland or residential gardens, but returns to shelter before dawn.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Home range (90% minimum convex polygon) estimates average 24 ha for males and with significant overlap; a single female had a home range of 15 ha. Home-range size did not differ in wet and dry seasons. Little information is available on social structure. Up to 20 individuals may occupy a single outcrop and have den sites in close proximity to one another. Temporary feeding aggregations of up to five individuals have been reported. Females are tolerant of each other in captivity and will often sit fairly close together.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List and in Australia. This rock wallaby has a highly restricted distribution, and is known from only 14,500 ha of naturally fragmented habitat within the Whitsunday Shire. Some habitat has been lost through clearing for agriculture, as well as tourist and urban development. These threats continue, with ongoing loss, fragmentation, and degradation of habitat. Increased urbanization brings greater threats from roadkill, predation by feral/domestic dogs and cats, exotic disease, and poisoning through consumption of toxic garden plants and introduced weeds. While significant areas of habitat are in protected areas, much remains in private hands. Several recovery plans have been prepared, known populations are regularly monitored, and the species has an increasing public profile locally. Between 1998 and 2002, 27 captive-bred Proserpine Rock Wallabies were introduced to nearby Hayman Island, where they have become well established and widespread. The captive population has now been disbanded. The mainland range ofthis species is completely embedded within the distribution of the more abundant Unadorned Rock Wallaby ( P. inornata ). A comparative ecological study of potential competition between these two species would be informative. Research into dispersal, the impact of threats, and the effectiveness of current harm-minimization strategiesis also required.

Bibliography. Burnett & Winter (2008h), DERM (2010), Eldridge (2012a), Holloway (2001), Johnson, PM. (1991, 2003), Johnson. PM. & Delean (1999), Johnson, PM. & Eldridge (2008a), Johnson. PM. & Nolan (1995), Johnson, PM., Nolan & Schaper (2003), Johnson, PM., Speare & Beveridge (1998), Maynes (1982), Nolan (1997, 2003), Potter, Cooperet al. (2012), Sharman et al. (1989), Winkel (1997), Woinarski et al. (2014ax).

Figures

On following pages: 29. Monjon (Petrogale burbidgel); 30. Proserpine Rock Wallaby (Petrogale persephone); 31. Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus); 32. Rothschilds Rock Wallaby (Petrogale rothschild); 33. Black- footed Rock Wallaby (Petrogale lateralis).

Distribution. NE Australia, mountain ranges E and W of Proserpine, C coastal Queensland; also Gloucester I.