Planigale novaeguineae, Tate & Archbold, 1941

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Dasyuridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 232-348 : 329

50.

Papuan Planigale

Planigale novaeguineae

French: Planigale de Nouvelle-Guinée / German: Neuguinea-Flachkopfbeutelmaus / Spanish: Planigalo de Nueva Guinea

00m common minou Now Gu nean Planıga e

Taxonomy. Planigale novaeguineae Tate & Archbold, 1941,

Rona Falls , Laloki River (vicinity of Port Moresby), 250 m, Central Prov., Papua New Guinea.

In 1928, E. Le G. Troughton erected the genus Planigale to accommodate three species of tiny, flatheaded dasyurids known only from Australia at that time. The holotype of P. novaeguineae was caught at Rona Falls in 1937. In describing the New Guinean planigale, G. H. H. Tate and R. Archbold in 1941 recorded that “... intensive trapping about the great, rock-strewn slope failed to produce any more...” The specimen was reportedly taken in a dry place beneath an overhang, with a surrounding hillside barren of vegetation. In 1976, M. Archer conducted a major revision of the genus Planigale , and in 1982, Archer suggested that P. novaeguineae was closely related to the widely distributed P. maculata of northern and eastern Australia. Both species have skulls that are notas flattened as in other species of Planigale , suggesting they may represent an early branch of the Planigale radiation. The species plausibly differentiated from each other as recently as 11,000 years ago when Torres Strait flooded. Various genetic studies have been conducted on the genus Planigale since the early 1980s. The genus was placed in its own subfamily because it shared no morphological features allying it unequivocally with other dasyurids. Nevertheless, Planigale was later incorporated in a distinct tribe, Planigalini, into the subfamily Sminthopsinae , along with three other dasyurid genera ( Sminthopsis , Antechinomys , and Ningaui ) based on genetic (allozyme) and serological evidence. DNA sequencing studies have since corroborated the close genetic relationship of these four genera. Monophyly of Planigale has been well established genetically, but taxonomy within the genus is under revision: in particular in Western Australia ( Pilbara region) where there may be new species-level taxa. There is also morphological and genetic evidence suggesting that widespread P. maculata is in fact a complex of species. Furthermore, distributions of numerous species in the genus are uncertain, and the identities of some museum specimens are unclear. Confusion is exacerbated because members of the genus are morphologically fairly uniform. A recent genetic study placed two P. novaeguineae within a large clade containing the rest of P. maculata , based on mtDNA. Thus, genetic and morphological analyses suggest that P. novaguineae and P. maculata are very closely related and that the taxonomy of P. novaeguineae is unclear. Whether or not to synonymize the species with P. maculata cannot be decided before a comprehensive revision of P. maculata is complete. Monotypic.

Distribution. S & SE New Guinea (SE Papua Province, Indonesia, and S Western Province and S Central Province, Papua New Guinea).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 7-9 cm,tail 8 cm; weight 14-9 g for males. No measurements available for females. The Papuan Planigale is the smallest dasyurid in New Guinea. Its smallsize, flat head, lack of dorsal or facial stripes, and short, sleek fur serve to distinguish it from all other New Guinean dasyurids.

Habitat. Tropical grasslands and savannas from sea level to an elevation of 250 m. Before 1972, no other specimens of Papuan Planigales were recorded until J. I. Menzies reported on dentaries of at least 23 individuals found in the roost of a raptor, most likely a common barn owl (7yto alba). Locality of this roost was Mount Eriama, c¢.16 km from Port Moresby and c.13 km from Rouna (Rona Falls)—the type locality. Only a few individuals have been reported since, from the Morehead region, Fly River, which represents a major distributional extension. Three specimens were collected from the Port Moresby area: one subadult male and one female at Boroko on 11 December 1963 and one male at Waigani Swamp, 16 km west of Port Moresby on 23 October 1963.

Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but Papuan Planigales have survived in captivity for several months fed strips of beef, cicadas, and beetles.

Breeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but there are records of a female Papuan Planigale with two half-grown young collected in September around the end of the dry season near Port Moresby.

Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Papuan Planigale has a relatively wide distribution and lacks major conservation threats. It may be common in suitable habitat but is probably affected by predation from domestic and feralcats. It could also be affected by habitat loss in the south-eastern part of its distribution through conversion of grassland to cultivated areas, but its overall habitat is most likely expanding. The Papuan Planigale occurs in two protected areas: Wasur National Park (Indonesia) and Tonda Wildlife Management Area (Papua New Guinea). Taxonomy of the Papuan Planigale is still uncertain, both between eastern and western populations in New Guinea and with respect to Australia’s Common Planigale ( P. maculata ).

Bibliography. Archer (1976a, 1982c), Baverstock et al. (1982), Blacket et al. (2000), Flannery (1995a), Helgen (2007a, 2007b), Krajewski, Blacket et al. (1997), Krajewski, Young et al. (1997), Leary, Seri, Flannery, Wright, Hamilton, Helgen, Singadan, Menzies, Allison, James, Dickman et al. (2008), Menzies (1972, 1991), Painter et al. (1995), Tate & Archbold (1941), Troughton (1928), Waithman (1979).

Figures

On following pages: 41. Short-furred Dasyure (Murexia longicaudata); 42. Broad-striped Dasyure (Murexia rothschildi); 43. Long-nosed Dasyure (Murexia naso); 44. Red-tailed Phascogale (Phascogale calura); 45. Northern Brush-tailed Phascogale (Phascogale pirata); 46. Common Brush-tailed Phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa); 47. Giles's Planigale (Planigale giles); 48. Long-tailed Planigale (Planigale ingrami); 49. Common Planigale (Planigale maculata); 50. Papuan Planigale (Planigale novaeguineae); 51. Narrow-nosed Planigale (Planigale tenuirostris); 52. Wongai Ningaui (Ningauiride); 53. Pilbara Ningaui (Ningaui timealeyi); 54. Southern Ningaui (Ningaui yvonneae); 55. Kultarr (Antechinomys laniger).

Distribution. S & SE New Guinea (SE Papua Province, Indonesia, and S Western Province and S Central Province, Papua New Guinea).