Taxonomic review of the genus Dasycercus (Dasyuromorphia: Dasyuridae) using modern and subfossil material; and the description of three new species

Abstract

The genus Dasycercus (Dasyuridae: Dasyuromorphia) has a long and ongoing history of taxonomic uncertainty. Currently two species are recognized: Dasycercus cristicauda and Dasycercus blythi, with the previously named Dasycercus hillieri considered a junior synonym of D. cristicauda. This investigation integrates modern, historical and subfossil material from across Australia to provide the most comprehensive review of the genus to date. Cranial and dental morphological characters that enable phylogenetic and morphometric analysis of taxa are established. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and principal component analysis (PCA) of craniodental measurements, including from the type specimens of named taxa (D. cristicauda, D. hillieri and D. blythi), are used to assess the validity of each taxon. The results confirm the validity of D. cristicauda and D. blythi as species, but also reconfirm the validity of D. hillieri. As a result, much of the modern ‘D. cristicauda’ material is reassigned to D. hillieri. Three new taxa are proposed: Dasycercus woolleyae sp. nov., Dasycercus archeri sp. nov. and Dasycercus marlowi sp. nov. These six Dasycercus species are distributed across Australia’s arid zone and beyond. Based on prior investigations and the results of this taxonomic review, it is likely that only D. hillieri and D. blythi are extant. The identification of four likely extinct taxa marks the first recorded instance of modern extinction within the family Dasyuridae.

Jake Newman-Martin [[email protected]], School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University Kent St, Bentley, WA, 6102 Australia;

Kenny J. Travouillon [[email protected]], Western Australian Museum, Collections and Research, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, WA, 6986 Australia;

Natalie Warburton [[email protected]], Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch Western Australia 6150 Australia;

Milo Barham [[email protected]], School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University Kent St, Bentley, WA, 6102 Australia;

Alison J. Blyth [[email protected]], School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University Kent St, Bentley, WA, 6102 Australia.

Keywords:

• Taxonomy
• Mulgara
• mammalogy
• palaeontology

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Country where all specimens were collected, and particularly the Whadjuk people (Perth) and the Gadigal peoples (Sydney) as the Traditional Owners where this research was conducted. Specimens were contributed by the WAM, SAMA, AMS, MAGNT, NMV, QM, ANWC and NHMUK, and we acknowledge all museum curators, staff and volunteers. In particular, numerous specimens were collected by Michael Archer (UNSW) and Patricia Woolley (La Trobe University), which made this review possible. We thank Alexander Baynes (WAM) for all his collection work and access to material from the Great Victoria Desert. Thanks also go to Mark Adams (SAMA) for sharing the unpublished genetics report ‘Revision of Dasycercus Systematics’, Robin Beck (University of Salford) for assistance with the phylogenetic analysis, and the reviewers and Editor for their constructive feedback. J.N.-M. was supported by a RTP scholarship from Curtin University.

Zoobank UUID

http://zoobank.org/C91DD4B0-2C8D-4B89-8D6A-35F846F69AE8

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/03115518.2023.2262083.