List of peramelemorphs

Eastern barred bandicoot (Perameles gunni)

Greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis)

Peramelemorphia is an order of Australian marsupial mammals. Members of this order are called peramelemorphs and include bandicoots and bilbies. They are found in Australia and New Guinea, generally in forests, shrublands, grasslands, and savannas, though some species are found in inland wetlands and deserts. They range in size from the Arfak pygmy bandicoot, at 14 cm (6 in) plus a 11 cm (4 in) tail, to the giant bandicoot, at 56 cm (22 in) plus a 34 cm (13 in) tail. Peramelemorphs primarily eat insects and fruit, as well as other invertebrates and small vertebrates. Most peramelemorphs do not have population estimates, but the ones that do range from 1,000 to 100,000 mature individuals. The giant bandicoot, David's echymipera, and Seram bandicoot are endangered. The desert bandicoot, lesser bilby, and pig-footed bandicoot were driven to extinction in the mid-1900s.

The nineteen extant species of Peramelemorphia are divided into two families: Peramelidae, containing eighteen species divided between three genera in the subfamily Echymiperinae, two genera in the subfamily Peramelinae, and a single genus in the subfamily Peroryctinae; and Thylacomyidae, containing one extant species in a single genus. Additionally, Peramelemorphia includes the extinct family Chaeropodidae, containing a single species. Dozens of extinct, prehistoric Peramelemorphia species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries the exact number and categorization is not fixed.^[1]

Conventions

IUCN Red List categories

Conservation status
EX	Extinct (3 species)
EW	Extinct in the wild (0 species)
CR	Critically Endangered (0 species)
EN	Endangered (3 species)
VU	Vulnerable (6 species)
NT	Near threatened (0 species)
LC	Least concern (9 species)
Other categories
DD	Data deficient (1 species)
NE	Not evaluated (0 species)

Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the peramelemorph's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted. All extinct species or subspecies listed alongside extant species went extinct after 1500 CE, and are indicated by a dagger symbol "†".

Classification

Peramelemorphia[2]   Chaeropodidae†   Chaeropus† Peramelidae   Peramelinae   Isoodon Perameles Echymiperinae   Echymipera Microperoryctes Rhynchomeles Peroryctinae   Peroryctes Thylacomyidae   Macrotis

The order Peramelemorphia consists of nineteen extant species in two extant families, Peramelidae and Thylacomyidae. Peramelidae is divided into three subfamilies: Echymiperinae, containing ten species in three genera; Peramelinae, containing six species in two genera; and Peroryctinae, containing a single species. Thylacomyidae consists of one extant species. Additionally, Peramelemorphia includes the extinct family Chaeropodidae, containing a single species. Three species have been driven to extinction in recent times, all in the mid-1900s: the desert bandicoot in Peramelinae, the lesser bilby in Thylacomyidae, and the pig-footed bandicoot in Chaeropodidae. Many of these species are further subdivided into subspecies. This does not include hybrid species or extinct prehistoric species.

Family Chaeropodidae†

• Genus Chaeropus† (pig-footed bandicoots): one species (one extinct)

Family Peramelidae

• Subfamily Echymiperinae
  • Genus Echymipera (New Guinean spiny bandicoots): five species
  • Genus Microperoryctes (New Guinean mouse bandicoots): four species
  • Genus Rhynchomeles (Seram bandicoot): one species
• Subfamily Peramelinae
  • Genus Isoodon (short-nosed bandicoots): three species
  • Genus Perameles (long-nosed bandicoots): four species (one extinct)
• Subfamily Peroryctinae
  • Genus Peroryctes (New Guinean long-nosed bandicoots): two species

Family Thylacomyidae

• Genus Macrotis (bilbies): two species (one extinct)

Peramelemorphs

The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists.^[3]

Chaeropodidae

Main article: Chaeropodidae

Genus Chaeropus† – Ogilby, 1838 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Pig-footed bandicoot†	C. ecaudatus[a] (Ogilby, 1838)	Central and western Australia	Size: 23–26 cm (9–10 in) long, plus 10–14 cm (4–6 in) tail[4] Habitat: Forest, savanna, shrubland, and grassland[5] Diet: Believed to be omnivorous[4]	EX  0 [5]

Peramelidae

Main article: Peramelidae

Subfamily Echymiperinae

Main article: Echymiperinae

Genus Echymipera – Lesson, 1842 – five species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Clara's echymipera	E. clara Stein, 1932	Northern New Guinea	Size: 20–50 cm (8–20 in) long, plus 5–13 cm (2–5 in) tail[6] Habitat: Forest[7] Diet: Omnivorous, primarily fruit[6]	LC  Unknown [7]
Common echymipera	E. kalubu (J. B. Fischer, 1829) Four subspecies E. k. cockerelli E. k. kalubu E. k. oriomo E. k. philipi	New Guinea	Size: 22–38 cm (9–15 in) long, plus 8 cm (3 in) tail[8] Habitat: Inland wetlands and forest[9] Diet: Invertebrates and fruit[8]	LC  Unknown [9]
David's echymipera	E. davidi Flannery, 1990	Kiriwina island east of New Guinea	Size: 20–50 cm (8–20 in) long, plus 5–13 cm (2–5 in) tail[6] Habitat: Forest[10] Diet: Omnivorous[6]	EN  Unknown [10]
Long-nosed echymipera	E. rufescens (Peters, Doria, 1875) Two subspecies E. r. australis E. r. rufescens	New Guinea and northeastern Australia	Size: 20–50 cm (8–20 in) long, plus 5–13 cm (2–5 in) tail[11] Habitat: Forest, shrubland, and grassland[12] Diet: Fruit, seeds, invertebrates, fungi, and plants[11]	LC  Unknown [12]
Menzies' echymipera	E. echinista Menzies, 1990	Southern New Guinea	Size: 20–50 cm (8–20 in) long, plus 5–13 cm (2–5 in) tail[6] Habitat: Savanna and forest[13] Diet: Omnivorous[6]	DD  Unknown [13]

Genus Microperoryctes – Stein, 1932 – four species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Arfak pygmy bandicoot	M. aplini Helgen, Flannery, 2004	Western New Guinea	Size: 14–16 cm (6 in) long, plus 11–12 cm (4–5 in) tail[14] Habitat: Forest[15] Diet: Insects as well as fruit[16]	VU  Unknown [15]
Mouse bandicoot	M. murina Stein, 1932	Western New Guinea	Size: 15–18 cm (6–7 in) long, plus 10–11 cm (4 in) tail[17] Habitat: Forest[18] Diet: Insects as well as fruit[16]	VU  Unknown [18]
Papuan bandicoot	M. papuensis (Laurie, 1952)	Eastern New Guinea	Size: 17–20 cm (7–8 in) long, plus 13–16 cm (5–6 in) tail[17] Habitat: Forest[19] Diet: Insects as well as fruit[16]	LC  Unknown [19]
Striped bandicoot	M. longicauda (Peters, Doria, 1876) Three subspecies M. l. dorsalis M. l. longicauda M. l. ornatus	New Guinea	Size: 23–31 cm (9–12 in) long, plus 14–26 cm (6–10 in) tail[17] Habitat: Forest and grassland[20] Diet: Insects as well as fruit[16]	LC  Unknown [20]

Genus Rhynchomeles – Thomas, 1920 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Seram bandicoot	R. prattorum Thomas, 1920	Seram Island west of New Guinea	Size: 24–33 cm (9–13 in) long, plus 10–13 cm (4–5 in) tail[21] Habitat: Forest[22] Diet: Unknown[21]	EN  Unknown [22]

Subfamily Peramelinae

Main article: Peramelinae

Genus Isoodon – Desmarest, 1817 – three species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Golden bandicoot	I. auratus (Ramsay, 1887) Three subspecies I. a. arnhemensis I. a. auratus I. a. barrowensis	Northwestern Australia	Size: 19–30 cm (7–12 in) long, plus 8–13 cm (3–5 in) tail[23] Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, and grassland[24] Diet: Insects and arachnids, as well as turtle eggs, small reptiles, and plant material[25]	VU  30,000 [24]
Northern brown bandicoot	I. macrourus (Gould, 1842) Two subspecies I. m. macrourus I. m. moresbyensis	Northern and eastern Australia and southern New Guinea (former in black)	Size: 30–47 cm (12–19 in) long, plus 8–22 cm (3–9 in) tail[26] Habitat: Forest, savanna, shrubland, and grassland[27] Diet: Insects, as well as lizards, birds, plant matter, and fungi[26]	LC  Unknown [27]
Southern brown bandicoot	I. obesulus (Shaw, 1797) Two subspecies I. o. nauticus I. o. obesulus	Southwestern and southeastern Australia	Size: 28–36 cm (11–14 in) long, plus 9–14 cm (4–6 in) tail[28] Habitat: Forest, shrubland, grassland, and inland wetlands[29] Diet: Plants, fungi, and invertebrates[30]	LC  10,000–100,000 [29]

Genus Perameles – Geoffroy, 1803 – four species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Desert bandicoot†	P. eremiana Spencer, 1897	Central Australia	Size: 20–43 cm (8–17 in) long, plus 7–17 cm (3–7 in) tail[31] Habitat: Shrubland, grassland, and desert[32] Diet: Believed to be insects, as well as worms, snails, mice, lizards, and plants[31]	EX  0 [32]
Eastern barred bandicoot	P. gunnii Gray, 1838	Southern Australia	Size: 20–43 cm (8–17 in) long, plus 7–17 cm (3–7 in) tail[31] Habitat: Grassland[33] Diet: Insects and arachnids, as well as small vertebrates and plants[34]	VU  10,000–100,000 [33]
Long-nosed bandicoot	P. nasuta Geoffroy, 1804	Eastern Australia	Size: 20–43 cm (8–17 in) long, plus 7–17 cm (3–7 in) tail[31] Habitat: Forest, shrubland, and grassland[35] Diet: Insects, arachnids, small vertebrates, plant roots, and fungi[36]	LC  Unknown [35]
Western barred bandicoot	P. bougainville Quoy, Gaimard, 1824	Scattered western and central Australia	Size: 20–43 cm (8–17 in) long, plus 7–17 cm (3–7 in) tail[31] Habitat: Shrubland and grassland[37] Diet: Invertebrates, plants, roots, herbs, seeds, berries, and fungi, as well as small vertebrates[38]	VU  1,000–5,000 [37]

Subfamily Peroryctinae

Main article: Peroryctinae

Genus Peroryctes – Thomas, 1906 – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Giant bandicoot	P. broadbenti (Ramsay, 1879)	Eastern New Guinea	Size: 39–56 cm (15–22 in) long, plus 11–34 cm (4–13 in) tail[39] Habitat: Forest[40] Diet: Believed to be omnivorous[40]	EN  Unknown [40]
Raffray's bandicoot	P. raffrayana (Milne-Edwards, 1878) Two subspecies P. r. raffrayana P. r. rothschildi	New Guinea	Size: 17–39 cm (7–15 in) long, plus 11–23 cm (4–9 in) tail[39] Habitat: Forest, shrubland, and grassland[41] Diet: Insects, as well as other invertebrates, small vertebrates, and plants[42]	LC  Unknown [41]

Thylacomyidae

Main article: Thylacomyidae

Genus Macrotis – Reid, 1837 – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Greater bilby	M. lagotis Reid, 1837	Western and central Australia	Size: 29–55 cm (11–22 in) long, plus 20–29 cm (8–11 in) tail[43] Habitat: Savanna and grassland[44] Diet: Seeds, bulbs, invertebrates, fruit, fungi, and lizards, as well as eggs and small mammals[45]	VU  9,000 [44]
Lesser bilby†	M. leucura Thomas, 1887	Central Australia	Size: 20–27 cm (8–11 in) long, plus 12–17 cm (5–7 in) tail[43] Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, and grassland[46] Diet: Insects, fruit, seeds, and fungi[47]	EX  0 [46]

Notes

1. Although it is not recognized as such by the IUCN, Chaeropus ecaudatus is sometimes split into the southern pig-footed bandicoot (C. ecaudatus) and northern pig-footed bandicoot (C. yirratji).

References

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3. Wilson, Reeder, pp. 38–42
4. Nowak 2005, p. 124
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6. Nowak 2005, p. 128
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16. Nowak 2018, p. 214
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