Eastern short-eared rock-wallaby

Eastern short-eared rock-wallaby
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Subclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Family: Macropodidae
Genus: Petrogale
Species: P. wilkinsi
Binomial name
Petrogale wilkinsi

The eastern short-eared rock-wallaby or Wilkins' rock-wallaby (Petrogale wilkinsi) is a species of rock-wallaby found in the northernmost parts of the Northern Territory of Australia, and is common in the Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks. It was thought to be a subspecies of the short-eared rock-wallaby (P. brachyotis) found in the Kimberley (Western Australia), but recent genetic and morphological studies have shown it to be distinct.[1] Wilkins' rock-wallaby is smaller, has more distinct grey/brown markings on its head and sides, and more colourful limbs than the western species.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Potter, Sally (22 December 2014). "Hiding in plain sight: a new marsupial species for Australia". The Australian Museum. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  • Potter, Sally; Close, Robert L.; Taggart, David A.; Cooper, Steven J. B.; Eldridge, Mark D. B. (2014). "Taxonomy of rock-wallabies, Petrogale (Marsupialia: Macropodidae). IV. Multifaceted study of the brachyotis group identifies additional taxa". Australian Journal of Zoology. 62 (5): 401. doi:10.1071/ZO13095.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.