Macrotis leucura

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Theria
Infraclassis: Marsupialia
Ordo: Peramelemorphia
Familia: Thylacomyidae
Genus: Macrotis
Species: †Macrotis leucura

Name

Macrotis leucura (Thomas, 1887)

References

* Macrotis leucura on Mammal Species of the World.
Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 2 Volume Set edited by Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder
* Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 5, 19: 397.
* IUCN link: Macrotis leucura Thomas, 1887 (Extinct)

Vernacular names
Internationalization
English: Lesser Bilby
Nederlands: Kleine langoorbuideldas

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The Lesser Bilby (Macrotis leucura), also known as the Yallara, the Lesser Rabbit-eared Bandicoot or the White-tailed Rabbit-eared Bandicoot, was a rabbit-like marsupial. Reaching the size of a young rabbit, it lived in the deserts of Central Australia. Since the 1950s, it has been believed to be extinct.

The Lesser Bilby was first discovered in 1887. An omnivore, its diet included termites, ants and roots.[2] It was grey-brown, fading to pale grey underneath with a white tail, and much smaller than the Greater Bilby at around 300 to 450 g. It is known only from the Gibson and Great Sandy deserts of arid central Australia; it may have had a greater range but this must remain unknown. It was exterminated by fur trapping, fox predation, and competition from rabbits.

It burrowed in sand dunes, constructing burrows 2-3 metres deep and closing the entrance with loose sand by day. It was nocturnal and bred seasonally, giving birth to twins. There seems to have been several in Cooncherie Station in the summer of 1932, but these were the last to be collected alive. The last specimen was a skull picked up below a Wedge-tailed Eagle's nest in 1967. The bones were estimated at being under 15 years old.

References

1. ^ Burbidge, A., Johnson, K. & Dickman, C. (2008). Macrotis leucura. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 28 December 2008. Database entry includes justification for why this species is listed as extinct
2. ^ Pavey, Chris (May 2006). "Lesser Bilby" (PDF). Threatened Species of the Northern Territory. Northern Territory Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts. http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/wildlife/animals/threatened/pdf/mammals/lesser_bilby_ex.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-22.

* Tim Flannery and Peter Schouten A Gap in Nature. Published by William Heinemann (2001)
* Brands, S. J.. "Macrotis leucura". Systema Naturae 2000. http://www.taxonomicon.net/. Retrieved November 29 2005.
* Groves, C. (2005). Wilson, D. E., & Reeder, D. M. ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 38. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3.