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CAVS: 1086

Species Myrmecobius fasciatus Waterhouse, 1836

Numbat

Introduction

Subspecies not identified in Mahoney & Ride (1988: 34), synonymy followed Finlayson (1933: 203), 'for conspecificity between M. fasciatus and M. rufus' and Ride (1970: 128) who did not divide 'species into subspecies'.

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Northern Territory, South Australia, Western Australia


Extra Distribution Information

Now confined to SW coastal, WA.


IBRA and IMCRA regions (map not available)

IBRA

NSW, NT, SA, WA: Australian Alps (AA), Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Burt Plain (BRT), Channel Country (CHC), Coolgardie (COO), Cobar Peneplain (CP), Central Ranges (CR), Dampierland (DL), Davenport Murchison Ranges (DMR), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), Esperance Plains (ESP), Eyre Yorke Block (EYB), Finke (FIN), Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), Gawler (GAW), Gibson Desert (GD), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Great Sandy Desert (GSD), Great Victoria Desert (GVD), Hampton (HAM), Jarrah Forest (JF), Kanmantoo (KAN), Little Sandy Desert (LSD), Mallee (MAL), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Mitchell Grass Downs (MGD), Mulga Lands (ML), Murchison (MUR), Nandewar (NAN), New England Tablelands (NET), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Nullarbor (NUL), Riverina (RIV), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields (SSD), Stony Plains (STP), Sturt Plateau (STU), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Tanami (TAN), Warren (WAR), Yalgoo (YAL)

Ecological Descriptors

Arthropod-feeder, burrower, diurnal, hummock grassland, low open shrubland, low open woodland, low woodland, open forest, open scrub, predator, tall shrubland.

Extra Ecological Information

Termite feeder, will climb, constructs nest in hollow logs or underground.

 

General References

Calaby, J.H. 1960. Observations on the banded ant-eater Myrmecobius f. fasciatus Waterhouse (Marsupialia), with particular reference to its food habits. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 135: 183-207

Christensen, P., Maisey, K. & Perry, D.H. 1984. Radiotracking the numbat, Myrmecobius fasciatus, in the Perup Forest of Western Australia. Australian Wildlife Research 11: 275-288

Finlayson, H.H. 1933. On the eremian representative of Myrmecobius fasciatus (Waterhouse). Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 57: 203-205

Friend, J.A. 1987. Numbat conservation. Bulletin of Zoo Management 25: 28-33

Friend, J.A. 1990. The numbat Myrmecobius fasciatus (Myrmecobiidae): history of decline and potential for recovery. Proceedings of the Ecological Society of Australia 16: 369-377

Friend, J.A. 1995. Numbat Myrmecobius fasciatus. pp. 160-162 in Strahan, R. (ed.). The Mammals of Australia: The National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife. Sydney : Reed New Holland 756 pp.

Friend, J.A., Fuller, P.J. & Davis, J.A. 1982. The numbat in central Australia. SWANS 12(3): 20-26

Friend, J.A. & Burrows, R.G. 1983. Bringing up young numbats. SWANS 13(1): 3-9

Friend, J.A. & Thomas, N.D. 2003. Conservation of the numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus). pp. 446-457 in Jones, M., Dickman, C. & Archer, M. (eds). Predators with Pouches. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing.

Griffiths, M., Friend, J.A., Whitford, D. & Fogerty, A.C. 1988. Composition of the milk of the numbat, Myrmecobius fasciatus (Marsupialia: Myrmecobiidae), with particular reference to the fatty acids of the lipids. Australian Mammalogy 11: 59-62

Mahoney, J.A. & Ride, W.D.L. 1988. Myrmecobiidae. pp. 34-35 in Walton, D.W. (ed.). Zoological Catalogue of Australia Volume 5. Mammalia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service 274 pp.

Maxwell, S., Burbidge, A.A. & Morris, K. 1996. The 1996 Action Plan for Australian Marsupials and Monotremes. Canberra : Wildlife Australia 234 pp.

Maxwell, S., Burbidge, A.A. & Morris, K. 1996. The 1996 Action Plan for Australian Marsupials and Monotremes. Canberra : Wildlife Australia 234 pp.

Ride, W.D.L. 1970. A Guide to the Native Mammals of Australia. Melbourne : Oxford University Press xiv 249 pp. 62 pls.

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
07-Feb-2024 29-Oct-2010 MOVED
29-Oct-2010 29-Oct-2010 MODIFIED
12-Feb-2010 (import)