Dibbler

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For the
Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler; for the garden tool see Dibber

Dibbler
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Dasyuromorphia
Family: Dasyuridae
Subfamily: Dasyurinae
Tribe: Dasyurini
Genus: Parantechinus
Tate, 1947
Species:
P. apicalis
Binomial name
Parantechinus apicalis
(J. E. Gray, 1842)
Dibbler range
(blue — native, pink — reintroduced)

The dibbler (Parantechinus apicalis) is an endangered species of

nocturnal carnivore
with speckled fur that is white around the eyes.

Description

The dibbler is 10–16 cm (3.9–6.3 in) long with a 7.5–12 cm (3.0–4.7 in) tail; it weighs 40–125 g (1.4–4.4 oz). Distinctive features include a white eye-ring, gray-brown fur flecked with white hairs, and a short tapering tail. It has strong jaws and large

crepuscular
species.

The dibbler is found in southwestern

Peniup Proposed Nature Reserve (where it was re-introduced) and on Gunton Island in the Recherche Archipelago (where it was also re-introduced). They have also recently been released on Dirk Hartog Island as part of the Return to 1616 project run by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. There were attempted releases at the Stirling Range National Park and Waychinicup National Park but it is not thought that they still persist in those locations. A specimen was also captured in Torndirrup National Park
south of Albany.

The dibbler's habitat is an unburnt vegetation area with a thick litter layer and sandy soils, typically occupying coastal mallee-heath vegetation communities on the south coast.

Taxonomy

Classification

The dibbler is the only member of its genus, Parantechinus, which indicates that it is an "

Pseudantechinus
.

The genus Parantechinus contains only the single species, Parantechinus apicalis, the dibbler. It was first described in 1842 by John Edward Gray, who placed it in the genus Phascogale. He identified the specimen as being Australasian in origin. The genus Parantechinus was created for the species in 1947 by George Henry Hamilton Tate. The species was also assigned to the genus Antechinus, before being split to its own genus. There are various arrangements of the genera in this section of family Dasyuridae, many of which are supported by molecular systematics, and their relationship remains unresolved.[4]

Common name

The name 'dibbler' is used by government and scientific authorities, and in popular usage, to refer to this species exclusively.[5][6][7][8] In the Dibbler Recovery Plan, Senior DBCA scientist, Dr. Tony Friend notes

Strahan (2003) introduced the common name "southern dibbler" for P. apicalis [Parantechinus apicalis] and "northern dibbler" for the sandstone antechinus" [Pseudantechinus bilarni][4] ... the well-established use of "dibbler" to refer only to P. apicalis is recommended and is followed in this plan."[9]

A number of common names derive from previous systematic arrangements.

King George Sound region.[10] The practice of restoring traditional names to marsupial species has conserved this common name. Gould referred to the species as the freckled antechinus,[4]
and it has also been known as the speckled marsupial mouse.

The online edition of

or sandstone) dibbler, Pseudantechinus bilarni, is found in the Northern Territory. This species has been distinguished by the name Southern dibbler, however this name is given in The Mammals of Australia (2008),[12]
the formative guide for Australian mammal nomenclature worldwide.

Conservation status

In the early 19th century, dibblers were widely distributed across Western Australia. By 1884, they were declared extinct, but some were rediscovered at Cheyne Beach on the southern coast of Western Australia in 1967. They are threatened by habitat loss (land clearing, dieback) and predators; they are considered an endangered species. Their predators are mainly feral foxes and feral cats.

Perth Zoo in Western Australia operates a conservation project for the dibbler which is helpful in its survival and breeding, and along with the Department of Environment and Conservation has helped to breed and release more dibblers into the wild.

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T16138A21944584.en
    . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Menkhorst, Peter (2001). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press. p. 58.
  3. ^ Woolley, P.A. (1995). "Southern Dibbler". In Strahan, Ronald (ed.). The Mammals of Australia. Reed Books. pp. 72–73.
  4. ^ a b c Friend, Tony (2003). "Dibbler (Parantechinus apicalis) Recovery Plan" (PDF). Dibbler Recovery Team. Department of Conservation and Land Management (DEC). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-08-15. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  5. ^ Bencini, R., McCulloch, C., Mills, H.R., Start, A.N., 2001. Habitat and diet of the dibbler (Parantechinus apicalis) on two small islands in Jurien Bay, Western Australia. Wildlife Research 28, 465–468.
  6. ^ Fuller, P.J., Burbidge, A.A., 1987. Discovery of the Dibbler, Parantechinus apicalis, on islands at Jurien Bay. The Western Australian Naturalist 16, 177–181.
  7. ^ Miller, S., Bencini, R., Mills, H., Moro, D. Food availability for the dibbler, Parantechinus apicalis, on Boullanger and Whitlock Islands, Western Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology (in press).
  8. ^ Mills, H.R., Bencini, R., 2000. New evidence for facultative male dieoff in island populations of dibblers, Parantechinus apicalis. Australian Journal of Zoology 48, 501–510.
  9. ^ Dibbler Recovery Plan (html)
  10. ^ Friend citing Gould, J. 1863. The Mammals of Australia. Taylor and Francis, London.
  11. OCLC 62265494
    .
  12. ISBN 978-1-877069-25-3

External links
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