Perameles nasuta, E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1804

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Peramelidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 362-398 : 392

6.

Long-nosed Bandicoot

Perameles nasuta

French: Bandicoot a long nez / German: GroRer Langnasenbeutler / Spanish: Bandicut listado de hocico largo

Taxonomy. Perameles nasuta E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1804 ,

“Nouvelle-Hollande.” Identified by T. Iredale & E. Le. G. Troughton in 1934 as “ Sydney, New South Wales,” Australia.

The two subspecies exhibit small differences in size and morphology and replace each other ecologically from north to south along the east coast of Australia. Recent studies using combined nDNA and mtDNA suggest, however, that southern subspecies (nominate) groups more closely with P. gunnii than with northern form pallescens , and further that this latter form groups as immediate sister-taxon to the clade containing the desert-adapted P. eremiana and P. bougainville . This intriguing and unexpected finding affirms the distinctiveness of pallescens, but questions the conventional wisdom that it groups with nominate form of present species. Until its correct placement is resolved,it is treated here conservatively as northern subspecies of P. nasuta , but with recognition that further work may supportits specific separation. Two subspecies provisionally recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P.n.nasutaE.GeoffroySaint-Hilaire,1804—EAustraliafrommid-NQueenslandStoVictoria.

P.n. pallescens Thomas, 1923 — far N Queensland, with geographically separate populations in Wet Tropics and on Cape York Peninsula.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 31-44.5 cm, tail 12-16 cm; weight 0-52.1-3 kg. Adult males 25% heavier and 10% longer than adult females. Fur is drab grayish brown above and pale cream to white below; pale fur also covers upper surface of forefeet and hindfeet. Snout is elongate, and ears are held erect as in other Perameles , but present species differs most obviously from its close relatives in lacking conspicuous dark and light bars on flanks and rump.

Habitat. Uses a wide variety of habitats throughout its range, but is most common in open forest and rainforest at elevations of up to ¢.800 m that receive more than 750 mm of rainfall each year. The species occurs also in heathland, swamp, and riparian situations where dense cover is available, and is a familiar sight in suburban gardens in Brisbane and Sydney and in many smaller towns along the coast. Despite its apparent preference for dense vegetation, this species is often found when foraging on short or long grass in parks and overgrown farmland. Nest is constructed in dense undergrowth among deep leaf litter and usually comprises a shallow scrape on ground surface thatis lined with dry grass and leaves; roof of nest is often covered with soil to keep the interior dry, and the one or two nest openings may be blocked to provide further shelter while an animal is inside. Different nests appearto be used each day, with only occasional reuse of old ones.

Food and Feeding. As with many other peramelids, insects and other invertebrates form a large part of the diet, with small vertebrates, vertebrate eggs, fungi, seeds, fruits, and green plant material consumed as well. Live prey on the ground surface probably detected by sound, but buried prey detected by smell and excavated by means of the powerful and stoutly clawed forelimbs. Much excavation takes place in open grassy areas, especially if soil is soft and moist, and results in the creation of conical holes that may be 30 cm deep.

Breeding. Has been recorded to breed year-round, but females more usually reduce their reproductive effort or cease breeding by early winter. Females re-enter estrus in spring, attracting the attention of males for several nights before matings occur. Gestation lasts 12-5 days; young first detach from the nipple at 30 days and are weaned at 62— 68 days. Litters of 1-5 have been recorded, butlitters of 2-3 are most common. When the young are ¢.50-55 days old, the mother often mates again and produces her next litter very soon after the first is weaned; up to fourlitters can be produced in this way over the course of a breeding season. There is very little maternal postweaning care, and fewer than 20% of young survive to adulthood. For those that do make the transition, sexual maturity is achieved at c.4 months in females and at five months in males.

Activity patterns. Animals remain in their nests by day and emerge after dusk to forage. There are several bouts of activity during the night, sometimes with a hiatus of 1-2 hoursjust after midnight, and animals return to a nest before the first light of dawn.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In an isolated population in mixed vegetation in Sydney, male home ranges were shown by radio-tracking to average 4-4 ha while those of females averaged 1-7 ha. Ranges of females overlapped at all times, whereas those of males expanded and overlapped most during the peak of the breeding season, between September and November. At a different site in northern Sydney, home ranges were found to increase after prescribed fire. Similar, albeit more limited observations have been made at sites in Victoria and Queensland. The observed overlaps in home range might suggest that this species is more socially tolerant than other peramelids, but animals forage and nest solitarily and exhibit aggressive behavior during encounters. Population density is of the order of 0-4-1 ind/ha.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population trend unknown. Cape York population of subspecies pallescens appears to be genuinely rare, but there is no evidence of recent range reduction. Inland populations of nominate race in drier country in Queensland and New South Wales have declined; in New South Wales, all records since late 1970s are from east of the Great Dividing Range. Despite these historical declines on the drier western margin ofits distribution caused by expansion of the pastoral industry, this species remains common and widespread throughout much of its large geographical range. It occurs in many protected areas, and has also benefited from broad-scale programs aimed at controlling the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) in parts of New South Wales and Victoria. Declines continue to occur in localized areas owing to loss or degradation of habitat, development, road mortality, and predation from the feral cat (Felis catus), Red Fox and, in settled areas, domestic dogs, but the rate of decline is low and impacts at the population level are not of immediate concern. The species appears to be quite secure.

Bibliography. Ashby et al. (1990), Bennett (1993), Chambers & Dickman (2002), Claridge (1993), Claridge & Barry (2000), Close (1977), Downes et al. (1997), Freedman (1967), Freedman & Joffe (1967), Gordon et al. (1990), Harrison (1962), Hope (2012), Hughes & Banks (2010), Iredale & Troughton (1934), Lyne (1964, 1981), Menkhorst & Seebeck (1990), Opie et al. (1990), Scott et al. (1999), Stodart (1966a, 1977), Tyndale-Biscoe & Renfree (1987), Westerman & Krajewski (2000), Westerman et al. (2012).

Figures

On following pages: 3. Northern Brown Bandicoot (/soodon macrourus); 4. Western Barred Bandicoot (Perameles bougainville); 5. Eastern Barred Bandicoot (Perameles gunnii); 6. Long-nosed Bandicoot (Perameles nasuta), 7. Giant Bandicoot (Peroryctes broadbenti); 8. Raffray’s Bandicoot (Peroryctes raffrayana)

Subspecies and Distribution. P.n.nasutaE.GeoffroySaint-Hilaire,1804—EAustraliafrommid-NQueenslandStoVictoria. P.n. pallescens Thomas, 1923 — far N Queensland, with geographically separate populations in Wet Tropics and on Cape York Peninsula.