Species Canis familiaris Linnaeus, 1758
Common Dog, Dingo, Domestic Dog
Type data:
Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown (not found in ZIUU or NHRM), 'saepius cum homine passim, etiam spontaneus evasit'; Thomas (1911: 134) identified the type locality as 'Sweden (Upsala)'.- Canis dingo Meyer, F.A.A. 1793. Systematisch-Summarische Uebersicht der neuesten Zoologischen Entdeckungen in Neuholland und Afrika. Nebst zwey andern Zoologischen Abhandlungen. Leipzig : Dykischen Buchhandlung 184 pp. [33] [the syntypes are the specimens described and figured under the names Dog of New South Wales and a Dingo, or Dog, of New South Wales by Phillip, A. 1789. The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay; with an account of the establishment of the Colonies of Port Jackson & Norfolk Island; compiled from authentic papers, which have been obtained from the several Departments. To which are added, the journals of Lieuts. Shortland, Watts, Ball, & Capt. Marshall; with an account of their new discoveries embellished with fifty five copper plates, the maps and charts taken from actual surveys, & the plans and views drawn on the spot, by Capt. Hunter, Lieuts. Shortland, Watts, Dawes, Bradley, Capt. Marshall, &c. London : J. Stockdale lxxiv 298 pp. [274–275 pl. 45] and Anon. [Hunter, J.] in White, J. 1790. Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales with sixty-five plates of non descript animals, birds, lizards, serpents, curious cones of trees and other natural productions. London : J. Debrett xviii 299 pp. [280 pl. 57]].
Type data:
Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown, Sydney region, NSW (as New South Wales).Secondary source:
Phillip, A. 1789. The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay; with an account of the establishment of the Colonies of Port Jackson & Norfolk Island; compiled from authentic papers, which have been obtained from the several Departments. To which are added, the journals of Lieuts. Shortland, Watts, Ball, & Capt. Marshall; with an account of their new discoveries embellished with fifty five copper plates, the maps and charts taken from actual surveys, & the plans and views drawn on the spot, by Capt. Hunter, Lieuts. Shortland, Watts, Dawes, Bradley, Capt. Marshall, &c. London : J. Stockdale lxxiv 298 pp.; White, J. 1790. Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales with sixty-five plates of non descript animals, birds, lizards, serpents, curious cones of trees and other natural productions. London : J. Debrett xviii 299 pp. [publication date established from Duncan, F.M. 1937. On the dates of publication of the Society's 'Proceedings', 1859–1926. With an appendix containing the dates of publication of 'Proceedings', 1830–1858, compiled by the late F.H. Waterhouse, and of the 'Transactions', 1853–1869, by the late Henry Peavot, originally published in P.Z.S. 1893, 1913. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 107: 71–84]. - Canis antarticus Kerr, R. 1792. The Animal Kingdom, or zoological system, of the celebrated Sir Charles Linnaeus; Class 1. Mammalia, containing a complete systematic description, arrangement, and nomenclature, of all the known species and varieties of the Mammalia, or animals which give suck to their young; being a translation of that part of the Systema Naturae, as lately published, with great improvements, by Professor Gmelin of Goettingen. Together with numerous additions from more recent zoological writers, and illustrated with copper plates. London : J. Murray & R. Faulder 1 Pt 1 xl 400 pp. 9 pls. [136] [available for Law of Homonymy only, see International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1957. Opinion 451. Use of the plenary powers to secure that the specific name dingo Meyer, 1793, as published in the combination Canis dingo shall be the oldest available name for the dingo of Australia (Class Mammalia). Opin. Decl. Int. Comm. Zool. Nomen. 15: 329–338 [331]].
Type data:
Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown, Sydney region, NSW (as New-Holland).Secondary source:
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1957. Opinion 451. Use of the plenary powers to secure that the specific name dingo Meyer, 1793, as published in the combination Canis dingo shall be the oldest available name for the dingo of Australia (Class Mammalia). Opinions and Declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 15: 329-338. - Canis familiaris australasiae Desmarest, A.G. 1820. Encyclopédie Méthodique. Livr. 89. Mammalogie ou description des espèces de mammifères. Premiere partie, contenant les ordres des bimanes, des quadrumanes et des carnassiers. Paris : V. Agasse 1-276 pp. suppl. pls 1-14. [191] [Sherborn, C.D. & Woodward, B.B. 1906. On the dates of publication of the natural history portions of the 'Encyclopédie Méthodique'. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 7 17: 577–582 [580] list the page and plate numbers of Livr. 89].
Type data:
Syntype(s) MNHP 1984–17 skin and postcranial skeleton not found in MNHP (Laboratoire d'Anatomie Comparée Register) skull (Péron and Lesueur specimen), Sydney region, NSW (as La Nouvelle-Hollande, aux environs du port Jackson). - Canis australiae Gray, J.E. 1826. Vertebrata. Mammalia. (Appendix B in part). pp. 412-415 in King, P.P. (ed.). Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia. Performed between the years 1818 and 1822; with Appendix B. London : John Murray Vol. 2 viii 637 pp., 9 pls. [Date published 15 Apr 1826: imprint 1827] [publication date established from Common, I.F.B. & Moulds, M.S. 1973. The date of publication of Captain Phillip King's narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia. Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History 6: 257–259] [412] [replacement name for Canis familiaris australasiae Desmarest, 1820].
- Canis dingoides Matschie, P. 1915. Der Dingo-Hund des Macdonnell-Gebirges. Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin 4: 101-107 [102].
Type data:
Holotype ZMB 68970 ♂ skull (whereabouts of skin unknown; ZMB formerly Zoologischen Museum der Königlichen Landwirtschaftlichen Hochschule, specimen no. 7017, whereabouts of skin unknown), S QLD (as Südqueensland). - Canis macdonnellensis Matschie, P. 1915. Der Dingo-Hund des Macdonnell-Gebirges. Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin 4: 101-107 [103].
Type data:
Holotype ZMB 22418 & 22419 ♂ skin (22418), skull (22419), MacDonnell Ranges, NT (as Macdonnell-Gebirges).
Miscellaneous Literature Names
- Canis lupus familiaris Linnaeus, 1758 [But see Freedman et al. (2014) who demonstrate through molecular analyses that Canis lupus and C. familiaris are separate lineages].
- Canis dingo F.A.A. Meyer, 1793 [recognised as valid species by some authors (e.g. Crowther et al. 2014)].
- Canis lupus dingo F.A.A. Meyer, 1793 [as subspecies].
Introduction
The systematic position of the dingo is currently unresolved, with no consensus at species and subspecies levels. The dingo is variously referred to as Canis lupus, Canis lupus dingo, Canis familiaris and Canis familiaris dingo in the literature (see for recent examples Van Dyck & Strahan 2008, Woinarski et al. 2014, Jackson & Groves 2015). In addition, there are various taxonomic synonyms for dingoes (examples include Canis dingo Meyer, 1793; Canis antarticus Kerr, 1792; Canis australiae Gray, 1826 and others documented herein). Currently, there is evidence to support the contention that dingoes are an introduced species from a relatively small founder population, as evidenced in the restricted gene flow observed in mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosomes of dingoes (Savolainen et al. 2004, Ardalan et al. 2012). While there has been recent research on the morphology of dingoes and domestic dogs (i.e., Crowther et al. 2014), the results presented substantial overlap in the morphometric comparison, which does not support dingoes as being a different species from dogs as postulated. Moreover, dingoes readily hybridise with dogs (Woinarski et al. 2014), and the genetics of dingoes align more closely with domestic dogs than with wolves (Savolainen et al. 2004, Ardalan et al. 2012). Hence the current taxonomic treatment for dingoes is Canis familliaris, not C. lupus, or C. dingo. This is supported by analysis of morphological, genetic, ecological and biological data, as studied by Jackson et al. 2017.
Distribution
States
Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
IBRA
ACT, NSW, NT, Qld, SA, Tas, Vic, WA: Australian Alps (AA), Arnhem Coast (ARC), Arnhem Plateau (ARP), Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Ben Lomond (BEL), Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Burt Plain (BRT), Central Arnhem (CA), Carnarvon (CAR), Channel Country (CHC), Central Kimberley (CK), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Coolgardie (COO), Cobar Peneplain (CP), Central Ranges (CR), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Daly Basin (DAB), Darwin Coastal (DAC), Desert Uplands (DEU), Dampierland (DL), Davenport Murchison Ranges (DMR), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Esperance Plains (ESP), Eyre Yorke Block (EYB), Finke (FIN), Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), Flinders (FLI), Gascoyne (GAS), Gawler (GAW), Gibson Desert (GD), Gulf Fall and Uplands (GFU), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Great Sandy Desert (GSD), Gulf Coastal (GUC), Gulf Plains (GUP), Great Victoria Desert (GVD), Hampton (HAM), Jarrah Forest (JF), Kanmantoo (KAN), King (KIN), Little Sandy Desert (LSD), MacDonnell Ranges (MAC), Mallee (MAL), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Mitchell Grass Downs (MGD), Mount Isa Inlier (MII), Mulga Lands (ML), Murchison (MUR), Nandewar (NAN), Naracoorte Coastal Plain (NCP), New England Tablelands (NET), Northern Kimberley (NK), NSW North Coast (NNC), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Nullarbor (NUL), Ord Victoria Plain (OVP), Pine Creek (PCK), Pilbara (PIL), Riverina (RIV), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields (SSD), Stony Plains (STP), Sturt Plateau (STU), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Tanami (TAN), Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH), Tiwi Cobourg (TIW), Tasmanian Northern Midlands (TNM), Tasmanian Northern Slopes (TNS), Tasmanian South East (TSE), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Tasmanian West (TWE), Victoria Bonaparte (VB), Victorian Midlands (VM), Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP), Warren (WAR), Wet Tropics (WT), Yalgoo (YAL)
Other Regions
Christmas Island terrestrial & freshwater, Lord Howe Island terrestrial & freshwater, Norfolk Island terrestrial & freshwater
Ecological Descriptors
Gregarious, noctidiurnal, predator, terrestrial, territorial.
Extra Ecological Information
Extensive hybridization between the dingo and the more recently introduced domestic dog has occurred in SE Australia.
General References
Ardalan, A., Oskarsson, M., Natanaelsson, C., Wilton, A.N., Ahmadian, A. & Savolainen, P. 2012. Narrow genetic basis for the Australian dingo confirmed through analysis of paternal ancestry. Genetica 140: 65-73
Brown, G.W. & Triggs, B.E. 1990. Diets of wild canids and foxes in East Gippsland 1983-1987, using scat analysis. Australian Mammalogy 13: 209-213
Brunner, H., Stevens, P.L. & Backholer, J.R. 1981. Introduced mammals in Victoria. Victorian Naturalist 98: 5-17
Bueler, L.E. 1974. Wild Dogs of the World. London : Constable 274 pp.
Catling, P.C., Corbett, L.K. & Westcott, M. 1991. Age determination in the dingo and crossbreeds. Wildlife Research 18: 75-83
Clutton-Brock, J. 1981. Domesticated Animals from Early Times. London : British Museum 208 pp.
Corbett, L.K. 1985. Morphological comparisons of Australian and Thai dingoes: A reappraisal of dingo status, distribution and ancestry. Proceedings of the Ecological Society of Australia 13: 277-291
Crowther, M.S., Fillios, M., Colman, N. & Letnic, M. 2014. An updated description of the Australian dingo (Canis dingo Meyer, 1793). Journal of Zoology, London [Date published 27 March 2014]
Daniels, M & Corbett, L. 2003. Redefining introgressed protected mammals – when is a wildcat a wildcat and dingo a wild dog? Wildlife Research 30: 213-218
Dickman, C.R. 1996. Impact of exotic generalist predators on the native fauna of Australia. Wildlife Biology 2: 185-195
Fleming, P.J.S. & Korn, T.J. 1989. Predation of livestock by wild dogs in eastern New South Wales. Australian Rangeland Journal 11: 61-66
Fox, M.W. 1971. Behaviour of Wolves, Dogs and Related Canids. London : Jonathan Cape 214 pp.
Fox, M.W. 1978. The Dog its Domestication and Behavior. New York : Garland STPM Press viii 296 pp.
Freedman, A.H. et al. 2014. Genome sequencing highlights the dynamic early history of dogs. PLoS ONE (Public Library of Science) [Date published 16 January 2014]
Fuller, J.L. & DuBuis, E.M. 1962. The behaviour of dogs. pp. 415-452 in Hafez, E.S.E. (ed.). The Behaviour of Domestic Animals. London : Baillière, Tindall & Cox.
Jackson, S. & Groves, C. 2015. Taxonomy of Australian Mammals. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing 520 pp.
Jackson, S.M., Groves, C.P., Fleming, P.J.S., Aplin, K.P., Eldridge, M.D.B., Gonzalez, A. & Helgen, K.M. 2017. The wayward dog: is the Australian native dog or dingo a distinct species? Zootaxa 4317(2): 201-224
Jones, E. 1990. Physical characteristics and taxonomic status of wild canids, Canis familiaris, from the Eastern Highlands of Victoria. Australian Wildlife Research 17: 69-81
Jones, E. & Stevens, P.L. 1988. Reproduction in wild canids, Canis familiaris, from the eastern highlands of Victoria. Australian Wildlife Research 15: 385-394
Long, J.L. 1972. Introduced birds and mammals in Western Australia. Agricultural Protection Board Western Australia Technical Service 1: 1-30
Lunney, D., Triggs, B.., Eby, P. & Ashby, E. 1990. Analysis of scats of dogs Canis familiaris and foxes Vulpes vulpes in coastal forests near Bega, New South Wales. Australian Wildlife Research 17: 61-68
Mahon, P.S., Banks, P.B. & Dickman, C. 1998. Population indices for wild carnivores: a critical study in sand-dune habitat, south-western Queensland. Wildlife Research 25: 11-22
May, S.A. & Norton, T.W. 1996. Influences of fragmentation and disturbance on the potential impact of feral predators on native fauna in Australian forest ecosystems. Wildlife Research 23: 387-400
McIlroy, J.C., Cooper, R.J., Gifford, E.J., Green, B.F. & Newgrain, K.W. 1986. The effect on wild dogs, Canis f. familiaris, of 1080-poisoning campaigns in Kosciusko National Park, N.S.W. Australian Wildlife Research 13: 535-544
Meek, P.D. & Triggs, B. 1998. The food of foxes, dogs and cats on two peninsulas in Jervis Bay, New South Wales. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 120: 117-127
Savolainen, P. Leitner, T., Wilton, A.N., Matisoo-Smith, E. & Lundeberg, J. 2004. A detailed picture of the origin of the Australian dingo, obtained from the study of mitochondrial DNA. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 101(33): 12387-12390
Triggs, B., Brunner, H. & Cullen, J.M. 1984. The food of the fox, dog and cat in Croajingalong National Park, southeastern Victoria. Australian Wildlife Research 11: 491-499
Woodall, P.F., Pavlov, P. & Tolley, L.K. 1993. Comparative dimensions of testes, epididymides and spermatozoa of Australian dingoes (Canis familiaris dingo) and domestic dogs (Canis familiaris familiaris): some effects of domestication. Australian Journal of Zoology 41: 133-140
Common Name References
ABRS 2001. Census of Australian Vertebrates. Australian Biological Resources Study. (Common Dog, Domestic Dog)
Clayton, M., Wombey, J.C., Mason, I.J., Chesser, R.T. & Wells, A. 2006. CSIRO List of Australian Vertebrates: A Reference with Conservation Status. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing iv 162 pp. [114] (Domestic Dog)
History of changes
Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
03-Nov-2015 | Canis Linnaeus, 1758 | 15-Dec-2017 | MODIFIED | |
03-Nov-2015 | Canis Linnaeus, 1758 | 03-Apr-2014 | MOVED | |
16-Oct-2013 | 13-Dec-2010 | MOVED | ||
12-Feb-2010 | (import) |