Dorsal view of Sminthopsis macroura
Image of footpad of Sminthopsis macroura showing distinguishing features

Stripe-faced dunnart

Sminthopsis macroura

A small carnivorous marsupial, with a distinctive face stripe and a fattened tail.

Morphology

One of the most prominent features of the stripe-faced dunnart is its namesake, a distinct line of dark hair that runs down the centre of the face between the ears and eyes. Adult weigh between 15-25 g. They have a longer tail than many other dunnart species, being about 1.25 times the length of the head and body. The tail is often notably incrassated at the base.

Evolution

The stripe-faced dunnart belongs to the Family Dasyuridae, the carnivorous marsupials. This group is part of the Australian radiation of marsupials and they occur in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Dasyuridae is further divided into the sub-family Sminthopsinae, which includes the dunnarts, planigales, ningauis and the monotypic kultarr. Sminthopsini and Planigalini clades are thought to have diverged around 20 mya, during the Miocene, and genetic lineages within the Sminthopsis (dunnarts) diverged around 15-10 mya such that the species occurring today had all diverged by the early Pliocene. Dunnarts are endemic to Australia, with one species also occurring in New Guinea. The dunnart genus, Sminthopsis, is large and contains 18 currently recognised species with some representing polyphyletic groups containing unresolved taxonomy. The stripe-faced dunnart is a known species complex that has yet to be formally reviewed, thought distinct genetic and morphological forms have been identified. In WA it is likely represented by two species, one occurring in the Kimberley and another in the western and central arid regions of the state.

Behaviour

Quickly colonises areas after rainfall and can move 0.3-2 km in a night.

Method of reproduction

Two litters from June-Feb. 11 day gestation and up to eight young.

Habitat

Terrestrial

While this species is known to occupy a variety of arid habitats, the western lineage prefers clay/loam soil. Dense populations occur in tussock grassland where stock is absent. Shelters in cracks in soil, under rocks, logs or burrows of other animals.

Distribution

Much of central and northern arid-zone, and the Kimberley.
Not endemic to Western Australia.

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Dasyuromorphia
Family: Dasyuridae
Subfamily: Sminthopsinae
Tribe: Sminthopsini
Genus: Sminthopsis
Species: macroura
Rank: species
Commercial Impact: 

None

Conservation Assessment: Least Concern

Net Conservation Benefits Fund

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Western Australian Museum Collections https://museum.wa.gov.au/online-collections/names/sminthopsis-macroura
Accessed 30 Aug 2023

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References

Blacket, M.J., Adams, M., Cooper, S.J., Krajewski, C. and Westerman, M. (2001). Systematics and Evolution of the Dasyurid Marsupial Genus Sminthopsis: I. The Macroura Species Group. Journal of Mammalian Evolution 8: 149-170.
Gibson, L.A. and McKenzie, N.L. (2009). Environmental associations of small ground-dwelling mammals in the Pilbara region, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 78: 91–155.
Krajewski, C., Wroe, S., Westerman, M. (2000). Molecular evidence for the pattern and timing of cladogenesis in dasyurid marsupials. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 130: 375-404.
Krajewski, C., Anderson, F.E., Woolley, P.A. and Westerman, M. (2012). Molecular Evidence for a Deep Clade of Dunnarts (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae: Sminthopsis). Journal of Mammal Evolution 19: 265-276.
Menkhorst, P. and Knight, F. (2004). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia, 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press: South Melbourne, VIC.
Mitchell, K.J., Pratt, R.C., Watson, L.N., Gibb, G.C., Llamas, B., Kasper, M., Edson, J., Hopwood, B., Male, D., Armstrong, K.N., Meyer, M., Hofreiter, M.M., Austin, J., Donnellan, S.C., Lee, M.S., Phillips, M.J., and Cooper, A. (2014). Molecular Phylogeny, Biogeography, and Habitat Preference Evolution of Marsupials. Molecular Biology and Evolution 31: 2322–2330.
Morton, S.R., and Dickman, C.R. (2008). Stripe-faced dunnart. In: Van Dyke, S., and Strahan, R. (Eds.). The Mammals of Australia. 3rd Edition. Reed New Holland: Sydney, NSW.
Start, A.N., Burbidge, A.A., Kendrick, P.G., and McKenzie, N.L. (2013). Terrestrial mammals of the south-western Little Sandy Desert, Western Australia. Australian Mammalogy 35: 54–64.
Woinarski, J.C., Burbidge, A.A. and Harrison, P.L. (2012). The Action Plan for Australian Mammals 2012. CSIRO Publishing: Collingwood, NSW.