Dendrolagus matschie, 1840

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 : 706

24.

Huon Tree Kangaroo

Dendrolagus matschie

French: Dendrolague de Matschie / German: Matschie-Baumkanguru / Spanish: Canguro arboricola de Huon

Other common names: Huon Tree-kangaroo, Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo

Taxonomy. Dendrolagus matschiei Forster & Rothschild, 1907 ,

“ Rawlinson Mountains , German New Guinea,” (= Huon Peninsula, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea).

Previously included D. goodfellowi : and D. spadix as subspecies, but these are now regarded as distinct species. Monotypic.

Distribution. Huon Peninsula, NE New Guinea; also Umboi I (likely introduced in prehistory).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 61.5-66 cm (males) and 51.2-63 cm (females), tail 55-5—62 cm (males) and 45.5-68.5 cm (females); weight 7-10 kg (males) and 8.4-10.5 kg (females). Medium-sized, short-tailed, shortfooted tree kangaroo with dense fur and strongly contrasting coat patterns. Warm brown dorsally and around neck, paler on rump; underfur yellowish brown. Dark brown mid-dorsal stripe from top of head to base oftail. Paired hair whorls present on each side of dorsal midline on middle to lower back. Throat, chest, belly, inside of limbs, lower limbs, paws, feet, and tail pale yellow to gold. Head and face brown, but with pale yellow to gold coloration, highly variable in extent, on muzzle, forehead, around eyes, and on ears. Tail densely covered with short hairs, with typically a distinct color change at base dorsally (but intergrades more gradually in some specimens). Diploid chromosome number is 14.

Habitat. Mid-montane to upper-montane tropical rainforest, at 1000 m to 3300 m elevation.

Food and Feeding. Folivorous, consuming leaves from a wide variety (more than 100 species) of forest plant (trees, vines, ferns, orchids, shrubs, herbs). Fruit and flowers are only minor components of diet. Appears to feed both in forest canopy and on ground. Food items are mostly reached and grasped with the paws and then transferred to mouth. In captivity consumes a variety of leaves, fruits, and vegetables, as well as eggs and meat. Soil is regularly eaten by captive animals. Captives will occasionally catch and eat small birds.

Breeding. Females reach sexual maturity from 25 months. The estrous cycle is on average 54-59 days and gestation 44-45 days. Post-partum estrus and embryonic diapause have not been demonstrated. Females appear to breed throughout year and produce a single young. Young spend c.9-5 months in the pouch and are weaned at twelve months. They then continue to accompany the mother for a further 2-3 months and appear to remain within or near mother’s home range until over two years old. In captivity, females come into estrus shortly after a young has left the pouch, and mating generally takes place on ground.

Activity patterns. Largely diurnal or crepuscular in captivity and in remote areas. May be largely nocturnal where heavily hunted.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Appears to be largely solitary, except for mothers accompanied by young. Occurs at low density. Home ranges (100% minimum convex polygon) relatively large, and similar for males (mean 120 ha) and females (mean 157 ha). While home ranges overlapped extensively with those of other members of same sex, a smaller core area was largely exclusive and perhaps defended. Male home ranges overlapped with those of multiple females. A subadult male dispersed approximately 2 km from his natal range when just over two years old.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. This macropodid has declined significantly as a result of hunting by local people for food and habitat loss due to expanding agriculture. These threats are increasing as the human population in the area expands. The Huon Tree Kangaroo is the flagship species for the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program, which since 1996 has been working with local communities on the Huon Peninsula to raise conservation awareness, and health and education standards, as well as conducting research. In 2009, a 75,700ha Conservation Area was established. Although the Huon Tree Kangaroo is relatively well established in zoos throughout the world, the captive population outside New Guinea is currently declining, perhaps as a result of inbreeding. A population ofthis tree kangaroo was thought to occur in western New Britain, but recent photographs indicate that the species present there is Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroo ( D. goodfellowi ). Additional research on abundance, diet, behavior, reproduction, and impact of threats is required.

Bibliography. Betz (2001), Crook & Skipper (1987), Dabek (1994), Dabek & Hutchins (1990), Flannery (1995a), Flannery et al. (1996), Groves (1982), Hayman (1989), Heath, Benner & Watson-Jones (1990), Hutchins et al. (1991), Iwaniuk et al. (1998), Leary, Seri, Wright, Hamilton, Helgen, Singadan, Menzies, Allison, James, Dickman, Aplin, Flannery et al. (2008d), Martin, R.W. (2005), McGreevy et al. (2011), Mullet et al. (1988), North & Harder (2008), Porolak (2008), Porolak et al. (2014), Steenberg (1984), TKCP (2012).

Figures

10. Rufous-bellied Pademelon (Thylogale billardieru), 11. Red-necked Pademelon (Thylogale thetis), 12. Red-legged Pademelon (Thylogale stigmatica), 13. New Guinea Pademelon (Thylogale browni), 14. Dusky Pademelon (Thylogale brunii), 15. Calaby’s Pademelon (Thylogale calabyi), 16. Bennett's Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus bennettianus), 17. Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi), 18. Grizzled Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus inustus), 19. Vogelkop Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus ursinus), 20. Dingiso (Dendrolagus mbaiso), 21. Doria’s. 9 Tree Kangaroo Dendrolagus (- dorianus), 22. Scott’s Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus scottae), 23. Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi), 24. Huon Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschie), 25. Lowland Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus spadix)

Distribution. Huon Peninsula, NE New Guinea; also Umboi I (likely introduced in prehistory).