The sandstone false antechinus (''Pseudantechinus bilarni''), also known as the sandstone pseudantechinus, the sandstone antechinus, the sandstone dibbler, Harney's antechinus and the Northern dibbler, is a species of small carnivorous

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 ...

, which has a patchy distribution 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 ...

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

Taxonomy

The sandstone false antechinus was discovered in 1948 when it was collected on the American-Australian expedition to

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territorial capital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compa ...

. It was described in 1954, when it was given the species name ''bilarni'', which reflects the Aboriginal pronunciation of Bill Harney, an Australian writer and naturalist who accompanied the expedition. The species has at times been assigned to the genus ''

Antechinus ''Antechinus'' (// ('ant-echinus')) is a genus of small dasyurid marsupial endemic to Australia. They resemble mice with the bristly fur of shrews. Names They are also sometimes called 'broad-footed marsupial mice', 'pouched mice', or 'Ante ...

'', and was long believed to be a member of the genus ''

Parantechinus The dibbler (''Parantechinus apicalis'') is an endangered species of marsupial. It is an inhabitant of the southwest mainland of Western Australia and some offshore islands. It is a member of the order Dasyuromorphia, and the only member of t ...

''. The latter genus currently contains a single species, traditionally known as the

dibbler The dibbler (''Parantechinus apicalis'') is an endangered species of marsupial. It is an inhabitant of the southwest mainland of Western Australia and some offshore islands. It is a member of the order Dasyuromorphia, and the only member of t ...

(''Parantechinus apicalis'') in

Southwest Australia Southwest Australia is a biogeographic region in Western Australia. It includes the Mediterranean-climate area of southwestern Australia, which is home to a diverse and distinctive flora and fauna. The region is also known as the Southwest Au ...

, from which this species gained a common name of Northern dibbler. Only recently the species has been moved to ''

Pseudantechinus The genus ''Pseudantechinus'' are members of the order Dasyuromorphia. They are often called false antechinuses, although this genus includes the sandstone dibbler, which was previously assigned to a different genus. The species of this genus a ...

'', where it is one of six species.

Description

It is an insectivorous species that, like many other

dasyurid The Dasyuridae are a family of marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, including 71 extant species divided into 17 genera. Many are small and mouse-like or shrew-like, giving some of them the name marsupial mice or marsupial shrews, but th ...

s, so exhausts itself in the breeding season that most of the males die, although unlike some other species, about 25% of both sexes survive to a second year. The sandstone false antechinus is partly diurnal and differs from the other members of its genus in its very long, narrow muzzle and its more greyish colour. The breeding season is May–July.

Habitat

The sandstone false antechinus is found in rocky areas around the

Top End The Top End of Australia's Northern Territory is a geographical region encompassing the northernmost section of the Northern Territory, which aside from the Cape York Peninsula is the northernmost part of the Australian continent. It covers a ...

and the

Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria is a sea off the northern coast of Australia. It is enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea, which separates Australia and New Guinea. The northern boundary ...

in the

. It also inhabits coastal rock platforms on

Marchinbar Island Marchinbar Island is the largest island in the Wessel Islands in the Northern Territory of Australia in the Arafura Sea. Location It is separated from Rimbija Island, the most northeasterly of the Wessel Islands, by a narrow channel, which i ...

References

External links

Australian Faunal Directory
{{Taxonbar, from=Q135146 Dasyuromorphs Mammals of the Northern Territory Marsupials of Australia Mammals described in 1954