Isoodon arnhemensis Lyne & Mort, 1981

Parnaby, Harry E., Ingleby, Sandy & Divljan, Anja, 2017, Type Specimens of Non-fossil Mammals in the Australian Museum, Sydney, Records of the Australian Museum 69 (5), pp. 277-420 : 315

Isoodon arnhemensis Lyne & Mort, 1981

Aust. Mammal. 4(2): 128, figs 66–68. (cover date, 13 May 1981).

Common name. Golden Bandicoot.

Current name. Isoodon auratus arnhemensis Lyne & Mort, 1981 ; following Jackson & Groves (2015), who highlight the need for taxonomic clarification of this form.

Holotype. M.6609 by original designation. Unknown sex, skull, study skin ( Figs 15–16 ), presented by Rev. W. S. Chaseling, collection date not given, registered June 1939.

Condition. Cranium missing right upper canine; left dentary missing last post-canine tooth; right dentary complete. Study skin: bald patch on rump, bald area on left side of abdomen. Study skin in good condition but excessive elongation does not reflect correct body proportions.

Cranial measurements (mm). M.6609: ConL, 63.67; BasL, 60.56; NasL, 25.29; NasB, 5.34; UC1–C1 (alv.), 9.69; APV, 4.10; PPV, 6.48; PAL, 37.06; UPM (alv.), 2.80; UMR (alv.), 11.79; ZB, 30.31; POC, 11.18; BUL, 13.76; MB, 25.27; DL (angl.), 50.55; DL (condyl.), 48.68; LPM (alv.), 2.81; LMR (alv.), 13.70.

Type locality. Melville Bay and Cape Arnhem area, Northern Territory, Australia. The type locality in the original description is given as “Melville Bay, Cape Arnhem area, Northern Territory” but the locality given in the register for each of the three specimens is actually two combined localities “Melville Bay and Cape Arnhem area”, which are separated by c. 25 km .

Paratypes. (2, by original designation). Details for both as per holotype: M.6606, male, skull, study skin; M.6610, indeterminate sex, skull, study skin .

Comments. Three specimens in the type series.

Figures

Figure 15. AM M.6609, holotype skin of Isoodon arnhemensis Lyne & Mort, 1981. (Photography by Sally Cowan).

Figure 16. AM M.6609, holotype skull of Isoodon arnhemensis Lyne & Mort, 1981. (Photography by Sally Cowan).