Introduction

This family includes two extant genera. Although both species occur in New Guinea, today only one is found in Australia. Pleistocene fossil remains of Zaglossus and Megalibgwilia have been taken from a number of deposits around Australia, and Zaglossus features in Aboriginal rock art in the Nothern Territory. In 2012, Helgen and colleagues (Helgen et al. 2012) reported on a specimen of Zaglossus bruijnii, collected in 1901 from the Kimberley in north-western Western Australia and now in the Natural History Museum in London. It appears, then, that Zaglossus has become extinct in Australia in relatively recent time. Both a flea Echidnophaga liopus Jordan & Rothschild and a tick, Amblyomma australiense Neumann were taken from the specimen.

The body of the echidna is covered with thick hair interspersed with sharply pointed spines. The legs are short and all digits are equipped with strong claws; those of the manus are spatulate. The snout is elongated, naked and the two nostrils are located on the antero-dorsal end. The eyes are small and directed anteriorly. The jaws lack teeth, the mouth is small and the tongue is long and narrow. The diet is insectivorous, composed largely of ants and termites.

Echidnas are solitary. Although they are powerful diggers, they do not burrow in the conventional head-first manner, but rather "sink" into the soil. A single egg is laid, probably directly into the pouch. Testes are internal and there is a single orifice for the passage of eggs and waste products.

General References

Augee, M. & Gooden, B. 1993. Echidnas of Australia and New Guinea. Kensington : University of NSW Press 76 pp.

Augee, M.L. (ed.) 1992. Platypus and Echidnas. Mosman : Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales 296 pp.

Griffiths, M. 1968. Echidnas. Oxford : Pergamon Press x 282 pp.

Griffiths, M. 1978. The Biology of the Monotremes. New York : Academic Press x 367 pp.

Griffiths, M. 1989. Tachyglossidae. pp. 407-435 in Walton, D.W. & Richardson, B.J. (eds). Fauna of Australia. Mammalia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 1B 827 pp.

Helgen, K.M., Miguez, R.P., Kohen, J.L. & Helgen, L.E. 2012. Twentieth century occurrence of the Long-Beaked Echidna Zaglossus bruijnii in the Kimberley region of Australia. ZooKeys 255: 103-132

History of changes

• Tachyglossus Illiger, J.C.W. 1811. Prodromus Systematis Mammalium et Avium, additis terminis zoographicis utriusque classis, eorumque versione Germanica. Berolini : Sumptibus C. Salfeld xvii 301 pp. [114] [nom. nov. for Echidna Cuvier, 1797].
• Echidna Cuvier, G.L.C.F.D. 1797. Tableau Élémentaire de l'Histoire Naturelle des Animaux. Paris : Baillière xvi 710-14 pls. [publication date established from Roux, [P.] (ed.) 1797. Livres nouveaux. J. Typogr. Bibliographique première année 11: 81–86 [81–82]] [143] [junior homonym of Echidna Forster, 1788].

  Type species:

   Echidna novaehollandiae Lacépède, 1799 by subsequent monotypy, see Lacépède, B.G.É. (as Lacepède) 1799. Discours d'Ouverture et de Clôture du Cours d'Histoire Naturelle Donné dans le Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 1'an VII de la République, et tableaux méthodiques des mammifères et des oiseaux. Paris : Plassan 94 pp. [publication date established from Sherborn, C.D. 1899. Lacepède's 'Tableaux...des mammifères et des oiseaux,' 1799. Nat. Sci., Lond. 15: 406–409 [409]] [11].
• Acanthonotus Goldfuss, G.A. 1809. Vergleichende Naturbeschreibung der Säugethiere. Erlangen : Waltherschen Kunst-und Buchhandlung xxi 315-41 pls. [308] [nom. nov. for Echidna Cuvier, 1797; junior homonym of Acanthonotus Block, 1797].
• Echinopus Fischer [von Waldheim], G. 1814. Zoognosia Tabulis Synopticis Illustrata : in usum praelectionum Academiae imperialis medico-chirugicae mosquensis edita. Volumen tertium. Quadrupedum reliquorum, Cetorum et Monotrymatum descriptionem continens. Mosquae : Vsevolozsky xxiv, 734 pp. [691] [nom. nov. for Echidna Cuvier, 1794].
• Syphomia Rafinesque, C.S. 1815. Analyse de la nature, ou tableau de l'univers et des corps organises. Palermo (Italy) : Privately Published 224 pp. [Date published April to July] [57, 219] [Iredale, T. & Troughton, E. le G. 1934. A check-list of the mammals recorded from Australia. Mem. Aust. Mus. 6: i–xii 1–122 [2] list Syphomia Rafinesque, 1815 as an available name but this name has no status in nomenclature, Rafinesque having withdrawn it in the "Additions et Corrections" to his work (219)].

  Secondary source:

   Iredale, T. & Troughton, E. le G. 1934. A check-list of the mammals recorded from Australia. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 6: i-xii 1-122.

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Iredale, T. & Troughton, E. le G. 1934. A check-list of the mammals recorded from Australia. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 6: i-xii 1-122 [2]
• Mahoney, J.A. in Walton, D.W. (ed.) 1988. Zoological Catalogue of Australia Volume 5. Mammalia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service x 274 pp. [Date published 13/Apr/1988] (differs from Iredale & Troughton (1934) by the date of Echidna Cuvier, 1797)

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), 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), 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) ; ACT, NSW, NT, Qld, SA, Vic, WA: Gibson Desert (GD), Little Sandy Desert (LSD)

Distribution References

General References

Gray, J.E. 1838. On the two species of Echidna. Annals of Natural History 1: 335

History of changes

Generic Combinations

• Echidna aculeatus (Shaw, 1792).
• Tachyglossus aculeatus (Shaw, 1792).

Taxonomic Decision for Subspecies Arrangement

• Mahoney, J.A. in Walton, D.W. (ed.) 1988. Zoological Catalogue of Australia Volume 5. Mammalia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service x 274 pp. [Date published 13/Apr/1988]

Introduction

Subspecies not identified in Mahoney (1988: 4), synonymies attributed to Mahoney in the same work.

Distribution

States

Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Including Kangaroo Is.; also Papua New Guinea (subspecies Tachyglossus aculeatus lawesii)

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), 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), 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) ; ACT, NSW, NT, Qld, SA, Vic, WA: Gibson Desert (GD), Little Sandy Desert (LSD)

Ecological Descriptors

Alpine, cave dweller, closed forest, crepuscular, hummock grassland, insectivorous, low open shrubland, low open woodland, low shrubland, low woodland, noctidiurnal, open forest, open heath, open scrub, predator, subtropical, tall open forest, tall open shrubland, tall shrubland, temperate, terrestrial, tropical, tussock grassland, woodland.

Extra Ecological Information

Seasonal breeder, oviparous.

General References

Abenspergen, M.A. 1988. Food preference of the echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae), in the wheatbelt of Western Australia. Australian Mammalogy 11: 117-123

Abensperg-Traun, M. 1989. Some observations on the duration of lactation and movement of a Tachyglossus aculeatus acanthion (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae) from Western Australia. Australian Mammalogy 12: 33-34

Abensperg-Traun, M. 1991. A study of home range, movements and shelter use in adult and juvenile echidnas, Tachyglossus aculeatus (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae), in Western Australian wheatbelt reserves. Australian Mammalogy 14: 13-21

Abensperg-Traun, M. 1991. Survival strategies of the echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae). Biological Conservation 58: 317-328

Abensperg-Traun, M., Dickman, C.R. & De Boer, E.S. 1991. Patch use and prey defence in a mammalian myrmecophage, the echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae): a test of foraging efficiency in captive and free-ranging animals. Journal of Zoology, London 225: 481-493

Abensperg-Traun, M. & Steven, D. 1997. Ant- and termite-eating in Australian mammals and lizards: A comparison. Australian Journal of Ecology 22: 9-17

Augee, M.L., Beard, L.A., Grigg, G.C. & Raison, J.K. 1992. Home range of echidnas in the Snowy Mountains. pp. 225-231 in Augee, M.L. (ed.). Platypus and Echidnas. Mosman : Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales 296 pp.

Augee, M.L. (ed.) 1978. Monotreme biology. Proceedings of a symposium held in Sydney, May 1978. The Australian Zoologist 20: 1-257

Augee, M.L. (ed.) 1992. Platypus and Echidnas. Mosman : Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales 296 pp.

Bakker, A.J., Parkinson, A.L. & Head, S.I. 2005. Contractile properties of single-skinned skeletal muscle fibres of the extensor digitorum longus muscle of the Australian short-nosed echidna. Australian Journal of Zoology 53: 237-240

Beard, L.A., Grigg, G.C. & Augee, M.L. 1992. Reproduction by echidnas in a cold climate. pp. 93-100 in Augee, M.L. (ed.). Platypus and Echidnas. Mosman : Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales 296 pp.

Bick, J.A.E. 1992. The meiotic chain of chromosomes of Monotremata. pp. 64-68 in Augee, M.L. (ed.). Platypus and Echidnas. Mosman : Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales 296 pp.

Collins, W.R. 1973. Monotremes and Marsupials a Reference for Zoological Institutions. Washington : Smithsonian Institution Press vi 323 pp.

Dann, J.F. & Buhl, E.H. 1995. Patterns of connectivity in the neocortex of the echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus). Cerebral Cortex 5: 363-373

Divac, I., Holst, M-C., Nelson, J. & McKenzie, J.S. 1987. Afferents of the frontal cortex in the echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus): indications of an outstandingly large prefrontal area. Brain, Behavior and Evolution 30: 303-320

Divac, I., Pettigrew, J.D., Holst, M-C. & McKenzie, J.S. 1987. Efferent connections of the prefrontal cortex of echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus). Brain, Behavior and Evolution 30: 321-327

Finnie, E.P. & Thomas, D.E. 1982. Management of monotremes at Taronga Zoo, Sydney. pp. 1-3 in Evans, D.D. (ed.). The Management of Australian Mammals in Captivity. Proceedings of the Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society, Healesville, Victoria, February 1979. Melbourne : Zoological Board of Victoria 194 pp.

Grant, T.R. 1983. Behavioral ecology of monotremes. pp. 360–394 in Eisenberg, J.F. & Kleiman, D.G. (eds) Advances in the Study of Mammalian Behavior. The American Society of Mammalogists. Spec. Publ. No. 7.

Grant, T.R. 1993. The past and present freshwater fishery in New South Wales and the distribution and status of the platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus. The Australian Zoologist 29: 105-113

Green, B., Griffiths, M. & Newgrain, K. 1992. Seasonal patterns on water, sodium and energy turnover in free-living echidnas, Tachyglossus aculeatus (Mammalia: Monotremata). Journal of Zoology, London 227: 351-365

Gregory, J.E., Iggo, A., McIntyre, A.K. & Proske, U. 1989. Responses of electroreceptors in the snout of the echidna. Journal of Physiology 414: 521-538

Griffiths, M. 1989. Tachyglossidae. pp. 407-435 in Walton, D.W. & Richardson, B.J. (eds). Fauna of Australia. Mammalia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 1B 827 pp.

Griffiths, M., Greenslade, P.J.M., Miller, L. & Kerle, J.A. 1990. The diet of the spiny anteater Tachyglossus aculeatus acanthion in tropical habitats in the Northern Territory. The Beagle 7: 79-90

Griffiths, M., Kristo, F., Green, B., Fogerty, A.C. & Newgrain, K. 1988. Observations on free-living, lactating echidnas, Tachyglossus aculeatus (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae), and sucklings. Australian Mammalogy 11: 135-144

Griffiths, M., Wells, R.T. & Barrie, D.J. 1991. Observations on the skulls of fossil and extant echidnas (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae). Australian Mammalogy 14: 87-102

Grigg, G.C., Augee, M.L. & Beard, L.A. 1992. Thermal relations of free-living echidnas during activity and in hibernation in a cold climate. pp. 160-173 in Augee, M.L. (ed.). Platypus and Echidnas. Mosman : Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales 296 pp.

Grigg, G.C., Beard, L.A. & Augee, M.L. 1989. Hibernation in a monotreme, the echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A 92: 609-612

Hughes, R.L. 1993. Monotreme development with particular reference to the extraembryonic membranes. Journal of Experimental Zoology 266: 480-494

Iggo, A, Gregory, J.E. & Proske, U. 1996. Studies of mechanoreceptors in skin of the snout of the echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus. Somatosensory & Motor Research 13: 129-138

Jones, R.C., Stone, G.M. & Zupp, J. 1992. Reproduction in the male echidna. pp. 115-126 in Augee, M.L. (ed.). Platypus and Echidnas. Mosman : Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales 296 pp.

Jorgensen, J.M. & Locket, N.A. 1995. The inner ear of the echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus : the vestibular sensory organs. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 260: 183-190

Krubitzer, L., Manger, P., Pettigrew, J. & Calford, M. 1995. Organization of the somatosensory cortex in monotremes - in search of the prototypical plan. Journal of Comparative Neurology 351: 261-306

Mahoney, J.A. 1988. Tachyglossidae. pp. 4-6 in Walton, D.W. (ed.). Zoological Catalogue of Australia Volume 5. Mammalia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service 274 pp. [4]

Murray, P. 1984. Furry egg-layers: the monotreme radiation. pp. 571-583 in Archer, M. & Clayton, G. (eds). Vertebrate Zoogeography & Evolution in Australasia — Animals in Space & Time. Carlisle : Hesperian Press.

Murtagh, C.E. 1972. A unique cytogenetic system in monotremes. Chromosoma (Berlin) 65: 35-57

Pridmore, P.A. 1985. Terrestrial locomotion in monotremes (Mammalia: Monotremata). Journal of Zoology, London A 205: 53-73

Regidor, J. & Divac, I. 1987. Architechtonics of the thalamus in the echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus). Brain, Behavior and Evolution 30: 328-341

Rowe, M.J. & Bohringer, R.C. 1992. Functional organisation of the cerebral cortex in monotremes. pp. 177-193 in Augee, M.L. (ed.). Platypus and Echidnas. Mosman : Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales 296 pp.

Siegel, J.M., Manger, P.R., Nienhuis, R., Fahringer, H.M. & Pettigrew, J.D. 1996. The echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus combines REM and non-REM aspects in a single sleep state - implications for the evolution of sleep. Journal of Neuroscience 16: 3500-3506

Smith, A.P., Wellham, G.S. & Green, S. 1989. Seasonal foraging activity and microhabitat selection by echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus) on the New England Tablelands. Australian Journal of Ecology 14: 457-466

Teahan, C.G., McKenzie, H.A. & Griffiths, M. 1991. Some monotreme milk 'whey' and blood proteins. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. B. Comparative Biochemistry 99B: 99-118

Ulinski, P.S. 1984. Thalmic projections to the somatosensory cortex of the echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus. Journal of Comparative Neurology 229: 153-170

Walter, L.R. 1988. Appendicular musculature in the echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae). Australian Journal of Zoology 36: 65-81

Wilkinson, D., Grigg, G.C. & Beard, L.A. 1998. Shelter selection and home range of echidnas, Tachyglossus aculeatus (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae) in the highlands of south-east Queensland. Wildlife Research 25: 219-232

Wrigley, J.M. & Graves J.A.M. 1988. Karyotypic conservation in the mammalian order Monotremata (subclass Prototheria). Chromosoma (Berlin) 96: 231-247

History of changes

• Echidna acanthion Collett, R. 1884. Echidna acanthion, en sandsynligvis ubeskreven art myre-pindsvin fra Nord-Queensland. Bulletin of the Mauritius Institute 1884(13): 1-12.

Distribution

States

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

Extra Distribution Information

WA, NT and arid zones of all mainland states.

Australian Endemic.

IBRA

NSW, NT, Qld, SA, Vic, WA: Arnhem Coast (ARC), Arnhem Plateau (ARP), Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Burt Plain (BRT), Central Arnhem (CA), Carnarvon (CAR), Channel Country (CHC), Central Kimberley (CK), Coolgardie (COO), Cobar Peneplain (CP), Central Ranges (CR), 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), 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), 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), Northern Kimberley (NK), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Nullarbor (NUL), Ord Victoria Plain (OVP), Pine Creek (PCK), Pilbara (PIL), Riverina (RIV), Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields (SSD), Stony Plains (STP), Sturt Plateau (STU), Tanami (TAN), Tiwi Cobourg (TIW), Victoria Bonaparte (VB), Yalgoo (YAL)

Ecological Descriptors

Alpine, cave dweller, closed forest, crepuscular, hummock grassland, insectivorous, low open shrubland, low open woodland, low shrubland, low woodland, noctidiurnal, open forest, open heath, open scrub, predator, subtropical, tall open forest, tall open shrubland, tall shrubland, temperate, terrestrial, tropical, tussock grassland, woodland.

General References

Strahan, R. (ed.) 1995. The Mammals of Australia: The National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife. Sydney, NSW : Reed New Holland 756 pp. [42]

History of changes

• Myrmecophaga aculeata Shaw, G. 1792. Myrmecophaga aculeata. The Porcupine Ant-eater. The Naturalists' Miscellany: containing accurate and elegant coloured figures of the most curious and beautiful productions of nature; with descriptions in Latin and English in the Linnaean manner. To which are added descriptions more at large, and calculated for general information. No. 36. London : F.P. Nodder & Co. Vol. 3. [6 unnumbered pages of text, pl. 109].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown, the region of Sydney, NSW (as New Holland).
• Echidna novaehollandiae Lacépède, B.G.É. (as Lacepède) 1799. Discours d'Ouverture et de Clôture du Cours d'Histoire Naturelle Donné dans le Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 1'an VII de la République, et tableaux méthodiques des mammifères et des oiseaux. Paris : Plassan 94 pp. [publication date established from Sherborn, C.D. 1899. Lacepède's 'Tableaux...des mammifères et des oiseaux,' 1799. Nat. Sci., Lond. 15: 406–409 [409]] [11, tableau] [tableau des divisions, sous-divisions, ordres et genres des mammifères].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown, Australia (as Nouvelle Hollande).
• Ornithorhynchus hystrix Home, E. 1802. Description of the anatomy of the Ornithorhynchus hystrix. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 92: 348-364 pls 10-13 [348] [nom. nov. for Myrmecophaga aculeata Shaw, 1792].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s).
• Echidna longiaculeata Tiedemann, F. 1808. Zoologie. Zu seinen Vorlesungen entworfen. Erster Bd Allgemeine Zoologie, Mensch und Säugthiere. Landshut & Heidelberg : Weberschen Buchhandlung xvi 612 pp. [publication date established from Iredale, T. & Troughton, E. le G. 1934. A check-list of the mammals recorded from Australia. Mem. Aust. Mus. 6: i–xii 1–122 [34]] [592] [nom. nov. for Myrmecophaga aculeata Shaw, 1792].
• Acanthonotus myrmecophagus Goldfuss, G.A. 1809. Vergleichende Naturbeschreibung der Säugethiere. Erlangen : Waltherschen Kunst-und Buchhandlung xxi 315-41 pls. [309] [nom. nov. for Myrmecophaga aculeata Shaw, 1792].
• Echidna australiensis Lesson, R.P. 1827. Manuel de Mammalogie, ou histoire naturelle des mammifères. Paris : Roret xvi 442 pp. [318] [nom. nov. for Myrmecophaga aculeata Shaw, 1792].
• Ornithorhynchus eracinius Mudie, R. 1829. The Picture of Australia: exhibiting New Holland, Van Diemen's Land, and all the settlements, from the first at Sydney to the last at the Swan River. London : Whittaker, Treacher, & Co. x 370 pp. [180].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown, Australia.
• Echidna australis Lesson, R.P. 1836. Histoire Naturelle Générale et Particulière des Mammifères et des Oiseaux Découverts Depuis la Mort de Buffon. Mammifères. Paris : Pourrat Frères 512 pp. 27 pls. [384 footnote 1 pl. 52] [nom. nov. for Myrmecophaga aculeata Shaw, 1792; the title of Lesson's work is recorded as Complément des Oeuvres de Buffon, ou histoire naturelle des animaux rare découverts par les naturalistes et les voyageurs depuis la mort de Buffon. Tome V. Suite des mammifères, on an added title page].
• Echidna brevicaudata Gray, J.E. 1865. [August 25]. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 5 [386] [name described by Iredale et al. (1834) as a 'Grayism'].
• Echidna corealis Krefft, G. 1872. Natural History. Section Monotremata—(continued). The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser Vol. 14 no. 652 28 Dec. 1872. 808, col. 1 pp. [808].

  Type data:

   Holotype AM 389 (Palmer Register) skin, skull not extracted, Cape York, QLD.
• Echidna orientalis Krefft, G. 1872. Natural History. Section Monotremata—(continued). The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser Vol. 14 no. 652 28 Dec. 1872. 808, col. 1 pp. [808].

  Type data:

   Holotype whereabouts unknown not found in AM, eastern Australia.
• Echidna acanthion Collett, R. 1884. Echidna acanthion, en sandsynligvis ubeskreven art myre-pindsvin fra Nord-Queensland. Bulletin of the Mauritius Institute 1884(13): 1-12 [1].

  Type data:

   Lectotype UZMO 6092 ♂ skin & skeleton, Gracemere near Rockhampton, QLD.

  Subsequent designation references:

  Johnson, D.H. 1964. Mammals of the Arnhem Land Expedition. 427-515 pls 1-16 in Specht, R.L. (ed.). Records of the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land. Zoology. Parkville : Melbourne University Press Vol. 4 xvii 533 pp. [434].
• Tachyglossus aculeatus ineptus Thomas, O. 1906. in Anon. On mammals collected in south-west Australia for Mr. W.E. Balston. Abstracts of Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 31: 1-2 [2].

  Type data:

   Holotype BMNH 6.8.1.363 ♂ skin & skull, Parker Range, SE of Southern Cross, WA (as Parker's Range, Southern Cross) 1163 ft (altitude from skin label).
• Echidna sydneiensis Kowarzik, R. 1909. Resultate einer zusammenfassenden Bearbeitung der Monotremen. Zoologischer Anzeiger 35: 213-215 [214] [nomen novum for Echidna hystrix multiaculeata Rothschild, 1905].

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Mahoney, J.A. 1988. Tachyglossidae. pp. 4-6 in Walton, D.W. (ed.). Zoological Catalogue of Australia Volume 5. Mammalia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service 274 pp.

Generic Combinations

• Tachyglossus aculeatus aculeatus (Shaw, 1792).

Distribution

States

Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Australian Endemic.

IBRA

ACT, NSW, NT, Qld, SA, Vic, WA: Australian Alps (AA), Arnhem Coast (ARC), Arnhem Plateau (ARP), Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), 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), 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), Tiwi Cobourg (TIW), Victoria Bonaparte (VB), Victorian Midlands (VM), Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP), Warren (WAR), Wet Tropics (WT), Yalgoo (YAL)

Ecological Descriptors

Alpine, cave dweller, closed forest, crepuscular, hummock grassland, insectivorous, low open shrubland, low open woodland, low shrubland, low woodland, noctidiurnal, open forest, open heath, open scrub, predator, subtropical, tall open forest, tall open shrubland, tall shrubland, temperate, terrestrial, tropical, tussock grassland, woodland.

Extra Ecological Information

Seasonal breeder, oviparous.

History of changes

• Echidna hystrix multiaculeata Rothschild, W. 1905. Notes on Zaglossus and description of a new subspecies of Echidna hystrix. Novitates Zoologicae 12: 305-306 [306].

  Type data:

   
  Syntype(s) BMNH 1939.4248 skin, skull extracted not found in BMNH, (BMNH 1939.4248 was formerly specimen no. G848 in the Zoological Museum, Tring; according to a label attached to its specimen stand G848 was bought from Gerrard (presumably the natural history agent, Edward Gerrard Jr.) ca. 1891; the Zoological Museum, Tring became an annexe of the British Museum (Natural History) on the death of Baron Rothschild in 1937; the Tring Museum Catalogue of Mounted Specimens records the locality of G848 as Adelaide, nevertheless Griffiths, M. 1978. The Biology of the Monotremes. New York : Academic Press x 367 pp. [60] believes the type material came from Kangaroo Is.), 'Extreme south of South Australia'; whereabouts unknown other syntypes not found in BMNH, locality unknown.

Distribution

States

South Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Kangaroo Island.

Australian Endemic.

IBRA

SA: Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), Kanmantoo (KAN)

Ecological Descriptors

Alpine, cave dweller, closed forest, crepuscular, hummock grassland, insectivorous, low open shrubland, low open woodland, low shrubland, low woodland, noctidiurnal, open forest, open heath, open scrub, predator, subtropical, tall open forest, tall open shrubland, tall shrubland, temperate, terrestrial, tropical, tussock grassland, woodland.

Extra Ecological Information

Seasonal breeder, oviparous.

History of changes

• Echidna setosa Geoffroy [Saint-Hilaire], É. 1803. Extrait des observations anatomiques de M. Home, sur l'echidné. Bulletin des Sciences, par la Société Philomathique de Paris 3(77): 225-227 [as 125-127] pls 14-16 [226 (as 126)].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown, the neighbourhood of Adventure Bay, Bruny Is., Tas. (Lieutenant Guthrie's specimen), TAS (Professeur Faujas' specimen) both as Nouvelle Hollande, au détroit de Bass.
• Echidna breviaculeata Tiedemann, F. 1808. Zoologie. Zu seinen Vorlesungen entworfen. Erster Bd Allgemeine Zoologie, Mensch und Säugthiere. Landshut & Heidelberg : Weberschen Buchhandlung xvi 612 pp. [publication date established from Iredale, T. & Troughton, E. le G. 1934. A check-list of the mammals recorded from Australia. Mem. Aust. Mus. 6: i–xii 1–122 [34]] [592].

  Type data:

   Holotype whereabouts unknown (the holotype is one of the syntypes (Lieutenant Guthrie's specimen) of Echidna setosa Geoffroy, 1803), the neighbourhood of Adventure Bay, Bruny Is., TAS (as Van-Diemensland).
• Platypus longirostra Perry, G. 1810. Platypus; or Ornithorinxus paradoxus. Arcana; or The Museum of Natural History: containing the most recent discovered objects. Embellished with coloured plates, and corresponding descriptions; with extracts relating to animals, and remarks of celebrated travellers; combining a general survey of nature. Pt 4. James Stratford : London. [publication date established from Mathews, G.M. & Iredale, T. 1912. 'Perry's Arcana' — an overlooked work. Victorian Naturalist 24: 7–16 [7]].

  Type data:

   Holotype whereabouts unknown (the holotype is one of the syntypes (Lieutenant Guthrie's specimen) of Echidna setosa Geoffroy, 1803), the neighbourhood of Adventure Bay, Bruny Is., TAS (as Adventure Bay, Van Diemen's Land).
• Echidna hobartensis Kowarzik, R. 1909. Resultate einer zusammenfassenden Bearbeitung der Monotremen. Zoologischer Anzeiger 35: 213-215 [215] [nom. nud.; misidentified by Iredale, T. & Troughton, E. le G. 1934. A check-list of the mammals recorded from Australia. Mem. Aust. Mus. 6: i–xii 1–122 [3] as available].

  Secondary source:

   Iredale, T. & Troughton, E. le G. 1934. A check-list of the mammals recorded from Australia. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 6: i-xii 1-122.

Distribution

States

Tasmania

Extra Distribution Information

Australian Endemic.

IBRA

Tas: Ben Lomond (BEL), Flinders (FLI), King (KIN), Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH), Tasmanian Northern Midlands (TNM), Tasmanian Northern Slopes (TNS), Tasmanian South East (TSE), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Tasmanian West (TWE)

Ecological Descriptors

Alpine, cave dweller, closed forest, crepuscular, hummock grassland, insectivorous, low open shrubland, low open woodland, low shrubland, low woodland, noctidiurnal, open forest, open heath, open scrub, predator, subtropical, tall open forest, tall open shrubland, tall shrubland, temperate, terrestrial, tropical, tussock grassland, woodland.

Extra Ecological Information

Seasonal breeder, oviparous.

History of changes