New research uncovers a ‘ghost’ of the Australian bush

(Press-News.org) A new species of a native bushland marsupial – closely related to the kangaroo – has been discovered but is already likely extinct, new research shows.

 

Analysing fossils collected from caves of the Nullarbor and southwest Australia, researchers from Curtin University, the Western Australian Museum and Murdoch University uncovered a completely new species of bettong as well as two new subspecies of woylie.

 

Woylies are ecosystem engineers capable of turning over several tonnes of earth each year in search for their favourite mushroom treats. The cute kangaroo relatives, native to Western Australia, are the country’s most translocated mammal because they are moved as part of conservation efforts to save the critically endangered species.

 

Lead author Mr Jake Newman-Martin, a PhD student in Curtin’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences, said the discovery unlocked vital clues about the diversity of woylies, also known as brush-tailed bettong.

 

“Woylies are critically endangered marsupials that have been the focus of conservation efforts for decades,” Mr Newman-Martin said.

 

“In this new research, we’ve named a completely new species based on fossil material, and two new subspecies of woylies for the first time. Sadly, many of them have become extinct before we’ve even been aware of them.

 

“Our results split the critically endangered woylie into two living subspecies, which is very important for conservation when we’re considering breeding and translocation initiatives to increase the size and fitness of populations.”

 

Co-author Dr Kenny Travouillon, Curator of Terrestrial Zoology at  the Western Australian Museum, said researchers used bone measurements to assess the diversity of woylies and the number of species.

 

“This research confirmed several distinct species and expanded the known diversity of woylies by measuring skull and body fossil material that had previously not been looked at in detail,” Dr Travouillon said.

 

“What we’ve found through this research tells us that examining fossils alongside genetic tools could offer significant insights that may help conservation efforts of this critically endangered native species.”

 

The scientific name of the new Nullarbor species has been described as Bettongia haoucharae but the researchers will work with Indigenous people to identify an appropriate collaborative name given woylie is a Noongar word.

 

The research examined specimens from the Western Australian Museum, South Australia Museum, Australian Museum, Queensland Museum, Museums Victoria, Flinders University research collection, Natural History Museum London, and Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

 

The full paper, titled ‘A taxonomic revision of the Bettongia penicillata (Diprotodontia: Potoroidae) species complex and description of the subfossil species Bettongia haoucharae sp. nov.’, was published in Zootaxa and can be viewed online here.

END