Potoroidae
Potoroidae[1] Temporal range:
| |
---|---|
Woylie (Bettongia penicillata) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
Order: | Diprotodontia |
Suborder: | Macropodiformes |
Family: | Potoroidae Gray, 1821 |
Type genus | |
Potorous
, 1804 |
Potoroidae is a family of marsupials, small Australian animals known as bettongs, potoroos, and rat-kangaroos. All are rabbit-sized, brown, jumping marsupials and resemble a large rodent or a very small wallaby.
Taxonomy
The potoroids are smaller relatives of the
Dentition |
---|
3.0-1.2.4 |
1.0.2.4 |
In most respects, however, the potoroids are similar to small wallabies. Their hind feet are elongated, and they move by hopping, although the adaptations are not as extreme as they are in true wallabies, and, like rabbits, they often use their fore limbs to move about at slower speeds.
The potoroids are, like nearly all
Ecology
The once populous species of this family played a role in the engineering of soil, dominating the sub-storey of vegetation, and regarded as crucial to the maintenance of the friable soils that they created by digging for fungi and other subsoil foods.[3]
Status
Four modern species of bettongs are extant and two have become extinct. Bettongs were endangered because settlers took much of their habitat, and the red foxes they introduced to the continent also killed many of them. At one time, several species lived all over Australia. Today, the Tasmanian bettong lives only in the eastern half of Tasmania, and the northern bettong lives only in three isolated populations in northern Queensland.
The potoroines have exemplified the impact of ecological changes since colonisation of Australia. Most species have become extinct within their former distribution range, and are either totally extinct or conserved only by preservation in isolated habitat and re-population programs.[3]
Classification
A basal branch of the macropods,[3] the three extant genera of the Potoroidae contain eight species.[1][4]
The arrangements of the related taxa have seen an arrangement of the subfamilies within Potoroidae, although an earlier classification within the family Macropodidae has also been supported by genetic studies.
A conservative arrangement of modern and fossil taxa may be summarised as:[5]
- family Potoroidae
- subfamily †Palaeopotoroinae
- genus Palaeopotorous
- subfamily Potoroinae
- genus Aepyprymnus
- genus Bettongia
- genus †Borungaboodie
- genus †Milliyowi
- genus †Caloprymnus
- genus Potorous
- genus †Purtia
- genus †Wakiewakie
- genus †Gumardee
- subfamily †Bulungamayinae
- genus Bulungamaya
- genus Wabularoo
- genus Wanburoo
- genus Nowidgee
- genus Ganguroo
- subfamily †
References
- ^ OCLC 62265494.
- ISBN 0-87196-871-1.
- ^ ISSN 0022-2372.
- ^ Haaramo, M. (15 November 2005). "Mikko's Phylogeny Archive: Potoroidae - rat-kenguroos". Archived from the original on 11 June 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
- ISBN 9780643093416.