Antechinus minimus (É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803)

Jackson, Stephen M., Jansen, Justin J. F. J., Baglione, Gabrielle & Callou, Cécile, 2021, Mammals collected and illustrated by the Baudin Expedition to Australia and Timor (1800 - 1804): A review of the current taxonomy of specimens in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle de Paris and the illustrations in the Muséum d’Histoire naturelle du Havre, Zoosystema 43 (21), pp. 387-548 : 400

Dasyurus minimus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803

( Figs 7 ; 8 ; 79 )

Dasyurus minimus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803b: 259 .

COMMON NAME. — Swamp Antechinus .

CURRENT NAME. — Antechinus minimus (É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803) .

See Jackson & Groves (2015: 61).

COLLECTOR/S. — Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, contra de Beaufort (1966: 519) who mentioned both Péron and Lesueur as its collectors. COLLECTION LOCALITY. — “M. Péron l’a trouvé dans une île placée dans le Detroit de Bass” (Tasmania?), 8-19 March 1802 (É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803b: 259); we designate the type location as Waterhouse Island , Bass Strait, Tasmania, Australia. See Wakefield & Warneke (1963: 209-210). COLLECTION DATE. — Between 8 and 19 March 1802. SPECIMEN NUMBER/S. — MNHN-ZM-MO-1987-233 ( Figs 7 ; 8 ), holotype, skull and skin mount (de Beaufort 1966: 518-519; Julien-Laferrière 1994: 6-7).

OTHER NUMBER/S. — Anc. Cat. Gal. 192A, Nouv. Cat. Gal. 381 (de Beaufort 1966: 518-519).

COMMENTS. — Extended description by É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1804a: 362).

ILLUSTRATIONS. — Illustrated by Charles-Alexandre Lesueur – Muséum d’Histoire naturelle du Havre, Inv. no. 80114 ( Fig. 79 ; two living animals). Previous museum records for this illustration suggest that it is the Large-eared Tenrec Geogale aurita Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1872 . Baglione & Crémière (2009: 362; 2016: 358) also proposed that this is an unnamed species of the genus Microgale . However, that presence of four upper and three lower simple incisors suggests these animals are marsupials.

Figures

FIG. 7. — MNHN-ZM-MO-1987-233, holotype skull of Dasyurus minimus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803. Scale bar: 1 cm. Photography by Stephen Jackson. Credits: MNHN.

FIG. 8. — MNHN-ZM-MO-1987-233, holotype skin mount of Dasyurus minimus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803. Scale bar: 2 cm. Photography by Stephen Jackson. Credits: MNHN.

FIG. 79. — Dasyurus minimus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire,1803.Australia.Charles-Alexandre Lesueur.Watercolour and pencil – 25 × 40 cm. Inv.no. - 80114.Credits: MHNH.