Geographic Range
Echymipera rufescens , commonly known as the long-nosed echymipera or the long-nosed bandicoot, is native to the Australian biogeographic region. The entire range of E. rufescens includes Papua New Guinea (across the island of New Guinea to the D'Entrecasteaux Islands), eastern Indonesia (the islands of Misool and Yapen, the Aru Islands, and the Kai Islands), and northeastern Australia (Cape York Peninsula of Queensland).
There are two subspecies of long-nosed echymiperas;
E.r. rufescens
occupies eastern Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and
E.r. australis
occupies northeastern Australia.
- Biogeographic Regions
- australian
- oceanic islands
Habitat
Long-nosed echymiperas are generally found at elevations of 0 to 2100 m. They are commonly associated with near-coastal regions and large tracts of forest. Echymipera rufescens rufescens is associated with moist lowland tropical forests and grasslands next to closed forests, whereas E.r. australis is associated with semi-evergreen mesophyll vine closed forests, gallery forests, and layered open forests.
Long-nosed echymiperas have also been recorded in heath and grassy woodlands, but
these were near closed forests, so the presence of
E. rufescens
may have been due to association with edge habitat.
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- rainforest
Physical Description
The head and body length of long-nosed echymiperas ranges from 200 to 500 mm, and the tail length ranges from 50 to 125 mm. They weigh between 500 and 2250 g. Males are larger than females, weighing between 700 and 2225 g. Females weigh between 550 to 1200 g.
The fur of long-nosed echymiperas is dark brown above and cream colored below. They
have a rufescent coloration on the rump and a black tail. The tail is almost naked,
but the body is covered in short spiny hairs that are over 0.5 mm wide. They have
short rounded ears and an elongated snout. The genera
Echymipera
and
Rhynchomeles
have the longest rostrums of all bandicoots. Members of these two genera have four
pairs of upper incisors, unlike other bandicoots which possess five pairs. All members
of the family
Peramelidae
possess three pairs of lower incisors. The first digit of the hind foot of long-nosed
echymiperas is longer than that of other bandicoots. The second and third digit of
the hind foot are syndactylous.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- male larger
Reproduction
Little is known regarding the mating system of long-nosed echymiperas.
Reproductive information is available for the subspecies
Echymipera rufescens australis
. The breeding season of
E.r. australis
is short. Females are ready to breed between November and May, and breeding occurs
during the peak rainfall of the northern wet season. Eighty to 100 % of females carry
young in their pouch between January and March. Young remain in the pouch for 65 days.
Females produce 1 to 2 litters each breeding season, with each litter consisting of
1 to 4 young. Female body mass is positively correlated with litter size. Compared
to other species of bandicoots,
E.r. australis
carry young in their pouch for a longer period of time and have a shorter breeding
season. This results in a lower reproductive output than other species.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- viviparous
Young long-nosed bandicoots are born underdeveloped and move to the pouch directly
after birth. They remain in their mother's pouch for 65 days.
- Parental Investment
-
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
-
protecting
- female
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
Lifespan/Longevity
The lifespan of long-nosed echymiperas is unknown, but one captive individual lived
for 2 years and 9 months.
Behavior
Long-nosed echymiperas are nocturnal. They make their den in shallow burrows at a
depth of about 0.5 m. These burrows are 2 to 3 sq m in size and have two openings.
Home Range
The home range of the subspecies
Echymipera rufescens australis
is 1 to 2 ha.
Communication and Perception
Food Habits
Long-nosed echymiperas are omnivorous. Echymipera rufescens australis fill the foraging niche of a medium-sized terrestrial mammalian frugivore, which has few Australian representatives. They are more frugivorous than other species of bandicoots. Their diet consists of 27.12% fruit and seeds, 25.56% invertebrates, 18.89% fungi, and 18.19% dicots. Roots, soil, monocots, and vertebrates also make up a minimal part of their diet.
The main species of fruit and seeds consumed are Pandanus zea and Alpinia caerulea . Three genera of fungi primarily consumed are Cortinarius , Glomus , and Hysterangium . The main invertebrates consumed are Coleoptera , but Blattodea and Orthoptera are also eaten. Long-nosed echymiperas also consume plants such as Canarium , Euroschinus falcate , Solanum viridifolium , and Pisonia umbellifera .
Echymipera rufescens australis
shows seasonality in diet choice. Fruit consumption is low in the early dry season,
fungi consumption is high and invertebrate consumption is low in the late dry season,
and fungi consumption is low in the early wet season.
- Animal Foods
- insects
- Plant Foods
- leaves
- seeds, grains, and nuts
- fruit
- Other Foods
- fungus
Predation
Natural predators of long-nosed echymipera are currently unknown.
Ecosystem Roles
Echymipera rufescens australis
may act as a seed disperser for plants such as
Pandanus zea
and as a fungus disperser because of their diet. Seeds and spores are found in their
feces. Long-nosed echymiperas also host parasites, such as fleas (
Parastyvalius novaeguineae
).
- Ecosystem Impact
- disperses seeds
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Echymipera rufescens rufescens
is hunted by humans for their meat.
- Positive Impacts
- food
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known adverse effects of long-nosed echymiperas on humans.
Conservation Status
The IUCN Red List classifies
Echymipera rufescens
as a species of least concern. Overall, populations of
E. rufescens
are declining, and they are uncommon.
Echymipera rufescens rufescens
is threatened by overhunting and habitat destruction.
Echymipera rufescens australis
is not hunted, and is not currently threatened.
Additional Links
Contributors
Myha Hart (author), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Christopher Yahnke (editor), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Gail McCormick (editor), Animal Diversity Web Staff.
- Australian
-
Living in Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, New Guinea and associated islands.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- oceanic islands
-
islands that are not part of continental shelf areas, they are not, and have never been, connected to a continental land mass, most typically these are volcanic islands.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- rainforest
-
rainforests, both temperate and tropical, are dominated by trees often forming a closed canopy with little light reaching the ground. Epiphytes and climbing plants are also abundant. Precipitation is typically not limiting, but may be somewhat seasonal.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- viviparous
-
reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- food
-
A substance that provides both nutrients and energy to a living thing.
- herbivore
-
An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.
- frugivore
-
an animal that mainly eats fruit
- omnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats all kinds of things, including plants and animals
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
References
Gordon, G., A. Hulber. 1989. Fauna of Australia Volume 1B . Canberra: AGPS. Accessed March 01, 2012 at http://155.187.2.69/biodiversity/abrs/publications/fauna-of-australia/pubs/volume1b/24-ind.pdf .
Gordon, G., B. Lawrie. 1977. The rufescent bandicoot, Echymipera rufescens (Peters & Doria) on Cape York Peninsula. Australian Wildlife Research , 5: 41-45.
Hulbert, A., G. Gordon, T. Dawson. 1971. Rediscovery of the marsupial Echymipera rufescens in Australia. Nature , 231: 330-331. Accessed February 17, 2012 at http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v231/n5301/abs/231330a0.html .
Leary, T., D. Wright, S. Hamilton, R. Singadan, J. Menzies, F. Bonaccorso, K. Helgen, L. Seri, A. Allison, J. Winter, K. Aplin, C. Dickman, L. Salas. 2008. "Echymipera rufescens" (On-line). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed February 29, 2012 at http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/7019/0 .
Nowak, R. 1991. Walker's Mammals of the World . Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Shevill, D., C. Johnson. 2008. Diet and breeding of the rufous spiny bandicoot Echymipera rufescens australis, Iron Range, Cape York Peninsula. Australian Mammalogy , 29: 169-175. Accessed February 17, 2012 at http://www.australianmammals.org.au/publications/pubs_ausMamCat/am_29_2/169-176%20Shevill%20Johnson%20bandicoot%20080321.pdf .
Westerman, M., B. Kear, K. Aplin, R. Meredith, C. Emerling, M. Springer. 2012. Phylogenetic relationships of living and recently extinct bandicoots based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution , 62: 97-108. Accessed February 24, 2012 at http://ac.els-cdn.com/S105579031100399X/1-s2.0-S105579031100399X-main.pdf?_tid=1051ad87780dc4cee16390daac4281cf&acdnat=1345063845_e631ca910eb765298b4bb7aeb8bc7a91 .
Wilson, D., D. Reeder. 2005. Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition . Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Accessed March 29, 2012 at http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/ .