The genus ''Planigale'' are small

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose nutrition and energy requirements are met by consumption of animal tissues (mainly mu ...

marsupial Marsupials are a diverse group of mammals belonging to the infraclass Marsupialia. They are natively found in Australasia, Wallacea, and the Americas. One of marsupials' unique features is their reproductive strategy: the young are born in a r ...

s found in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

. It is the only

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

in the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

Planigalini of the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Sminthopsinae The subfamily Sminthopsinae includes several genera of small, carnivorous marsupials native to Australia: kultarrs, ningauis, dunnarts, and planigales. Classification * Subfamily Sminthopsinae ** Tribe Sminthopsini *** Genus '' Antechinom ...

. The genus has long been known to contain several cryptic species. Of the five ''Planigale'' species currently recognized, two (''P. ingrami'' and ''P. maculata'') are known species complexes. The seven species currently recognized are: * Paucident planigale, ''Planigale gilesi'' *

Long-tailed planigale The long-tailed planigale (''Planigale ingrami''), also known as Ingram's planigale or the northern planigale, is the smallest of all marsupials, and one of the smallest of all mammals. It is rarely seen but is a quite common inhabitant of the bl ...

, ''Planigale ingrami'' * Orange-headed Pilbara planigale, ''Planigale kendricki'' * Common planigale, ''Planigale maculata'' * New Guinean planigale, ''Planigale novaeguineae'' * Cracking-clay Pilbara planigale, ''Planigale tealei'' *

Narrow-nosed planigale The narrow-nosed planigale (''Planigale tenuirostris'') is a small Australian carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. The narrow-nosed planigale was described by Ellis Le Geyt Troughton in 1928, separating it from the common planigale ...

, ''Planigale tenuirostris''

Species identification

Planigales are the smallest of all marsupials, some members of this carnivorous group weighing less than 5 grams. Being small, nocturnal and secretive, they are rarely seen; however, they are generally common in many parts of the arid interior of Western Australia. Their small size and cryptic nature make the various species difficult to tell apart, with head length and shape, body weight, footpad shape and granulation, fur colour, location, and habitat all being important aids to live identification. The

Western Australian Museum The Western Australian Museum is a statutory body, statutory authority within the Culture and the Arts Portfolio, established under the ''Museum Act 1969''. The museum has six main sites. The state museum, WA Museum Boola Bardip, is located i ...

has taken a series of footpad photos to aid in identification of ''Planigale'' species.

References

* Dasyuromorphs Marsupial genera Taxa named by Ellis Le Geyt Troughton {{marsupial-stub