Dasycercus cristicauda

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	DASYUROMORPHIA	DASYURIDAE

Scientific Name:

Dasycercus cristicauda

Species Authority:

(Krefft, 1867)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Crest-tailed Mulgara, Mulgara
French	–	Rat Marsupial À Queue Crêtée

Synonym/s:

Dasycercus hillieri (Thomas, 1905)

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2008

Assessor/s

Woolley, P.

Evaluator/s:

Lamoreux, J. & Hilton-Taylor, C. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)

Justification:
Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining at nearly the rate required to qualify for listing in a threatened category.

History:

1996	–	Vulnerable
1994	–	Vulnerable (IUCN)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	The Crest-tailed Mulgara is endemic to Australia, where it is known with certainty only from some of the desert regions along the border between the Northern Territory and South Australia. Because the re-recognition of D. blythi as a species has been so recent the identity of museum specimens must be re-checked before the true range limits of both it and D. cristicauda can be determined (Woolley 2005, 2008).
Countries:	Native: Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia)
Range Map:	(click map to view full version)

Population [top]

Population:	This species has a wide known range (Woolley 2005; Masters 2008).
Population Trend:	Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	D. cristicauda is found primarily in Sandhill Canegrass (Zygochloa paradoxa) dominated dunes, with a vegetation cover less than 20%, Nitre Bush (Nitraria billardierei) grasslands (Foulkes and Canty 2000), and Sandhill Canegrass flats near salt lakes (J. Foulkes pers. comm.). Their burrows have been found on dunes (Woolley 1990) and at the base of Nitre Bush hummocks (Masters 2008). Relatively little is known of the biology of this species (see Woolley 2006), but the reproductive pattern is thought to be similar to that of D. blythi.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Habitat and Ecology:

D. cristicauda is found primarily in Sandhill Canegrass (Zygochloa paradoxa) dominated dunes, with a vegetation cover less than 20%, Nitre Bush (Nitraria billardierei) grasslands (Foulkes and Canty 2000), and Sandhill Canegrass flats near salt lakes (J. Foulkes pers. comm.). Their burrows have been found on dunes (Woolley 1990) and at the base of Nitre Bush hummocks (Masters 2008). Relatively little is known of the biology of this species (see Woolley 2006), but the reproductive pattern is thought to be similar to that of D. blythi.

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	There are no known major threats to this species.

Major Threat(s):

There are no known major threats to this species.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	This species is found in at least one protected area (e.g., Simpson Desert Regional Reserve). Research into its distribution, abundance, habitat requirements, and possible threats is needed.

Conservation Actions:

This species is found in at least one protected area (e.g., Simpson Desert Regional Reserve). Research into its distribution, abundance, habitat requirements, and possible threats is needed.

Citation:	Woolley, P. 2008. Dasycercus cristicauda. In: IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2010.
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