Notamacropus parryi, Bennett, 1835

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Macropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 630-735 : 731

53.

Whip-tailed Wallaby

Notamacropus parryi

French: Wallaby élégant / German: Hiibschgesicht-Wallaby / Spanish: Ualabi de cola de latigo

Other common names: Blue Flier, Flier, Grey Flier, Pretty-faced Wallaby, Whiptail Wallaby

Taxonomy. Macropus parryi Bennett, 1835 ,

Stroud , north-eastern New South Wales, Australia.

Previously placed in genus Macropus , within which moved into subgenus Notamacropus in 1985; in 2015 Notamacropus was elevated to full genus status. Monotypic.

Distribution. Coastal E Australia from Cooktown, NE Queensland, S to Grafton, NE New South Wales, and inland to W edge of Great Dividing Range.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 73.6-100.3 cm (males) and 61-87.9 cm (females), tail 86.1-104.5 cm (males) and 72.8-85.8 cm (females); weight 14-26 kg (males) and 7-15 kg (females). A large but lean, long-tailed, long-eared, pale wallaby with strongly contrasting facial markings. Pale gray dorsally (more brownish in summer), off-white to white ventrally. Limbs pale, digits black. Muzzle black, head dark brown, prominent white cheek stripe to past eye. Top of head between ears pale. Ears pale inside and on margins, boldly patterned outside; dark brown at base, then white, with tips black. Pale hip stripe merges laterally onto tail. Tail long and thin, pale gray to white, with dark tip. Rump and proximal dorsal surface oftail slightly darker. Diploid chromosome number is 16.

Habitat. Open eucalypt forest with grassy understory in hilly country, at up to 1400 m elevation. Most abundant on slopes, preferring upperslopes facing north and west and with moderate tree and shrub cover during day, while lower slopes are preferred at night.

Food and Feeding. A grazer, consuming a variety of native and introduced grasses. Feeds mainly on grass leaf, but also takes sheath and stems of grasses. Some legumes and ferns are also consumed. Rarely drinks, except during drought.

Breeding. Females reach sexual maturity from 17 months; timing of sexual maturity in males is unclear, as competition from other males prevents them from mating until they are 2-3 years old. Breeds throughout year, females producing one young per pregnancy. Females exhibit embryonic diapause, but do not have a post-partum estrus; instead, they come into estrus 118-215 days after the young is born. The estrous cycle is 38-44 (mean 42) days and gestation is 36-41 (mean 38) days. Young spend 8-5-9 months in the pouch and are weaned by 15 months. After permanent pouch emergence, young accompanies the mother as a young-at-foot until after weaning. There is intense competition among males for access to females. Males establish dominance relationships through repetitive, ritualized bouts of display, sparring, wrestling, and kicking; they test the estrous state of females by eliciting urination, nosing the stream, and exhibiting flehmen (lip-curl). Mating occurs on a single day in each estrous cycle. Estrous females are followed (and sometimes chased) by up to nine males, and are typically guarded by dominant male, which keeps away other interested males by chases and threat displays. Copulation then occurs multiple times over a three-minute to four-hour period, after which the female moves away and is not followed by dominant male. Other high-ranked males may then approach the female and additional matings sometimes occur.

Activity patterns. Nocturnal and partly diurnal; may be active at any time of day. Typically feeds into the morning, with increasing periods of rest around midday, then resumes feeding in afternoon and continues after dark. During hottest part of day rests in shade of shrubs and trees. More active during middle of day in cool or overcast conditions. Basks in the sun on winter mornings.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Sedentary. Tends to move down hill at night to feed on lowerslopes, adjacent flats and more open areas than those used during day. Average daytime home-range size (100% minimum convex polygon) is 76 ha for males and 56 ha for females. Highly gregarious; sometimes seen alone, but more often in groups of as many as 42 individuals. Average group size is 4-10, lowest in autumn and highest in late winter and early spring, when individuals congregate at favored feeding sites. Group membership is open; group size and composition change frequently throughout day. Members of a group rest and feed in close proximity and show little aggression; when alarmed,they scatter, hopping off rapidly with frequent erratic changes in direction. Groups are subsets of mobs, comprising 30-50 individuals, whose home ranges overlap largely or completely with those of other mob members. Mobs occupy an area of approximately 100 ha, with minimal overlap at boundaries with adjacent mobs. Mobs contain multiple adults of both sexes, although there are often twice as many adult females as males, as well as subadults and young. Subadult males appear to disperse as they approach sexual maturity, at 18-20 months, and join a different mob; subadult females may remain in their natal mob.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Whiptailed Wallaby has declined in the south of its range as a result of habitat-clearing for agriculture, becoming locally extinct in some areas. Nevertheless, it remains widespread and abundant especially in far north-east New South Wales and south-east Queensland. It is well represented in protected areas. While complete clearing of forest is detrimental, the thinning of forest on slopes and ridges to encourage pasture growth for cattle grazing appears to have benefited this macropodid in some areas and it is sometimes regarded as a pest. In Queensland, Whip-tailed Wallabies were commercially harvested from the 1950s until 2007. Additional studies of this species’ ecology, including behavioral and genetic studies of mob structure, reproductive success, and dispersal, are required.

Bibliography. Bell (1973), Bennett (1835), Calaby & Grigg (1989), Dawson & Flannery (1985), Groves (2005b), Hayman (1989), Jackson & Groves (2015), Jarman & Phillips (1989), Johnson, PM. (1998, 2003, 2008b), Kaufmann (1974a, 1974b), Lavery (1985), Menkhorst & Knight (2001), Southwell (1987b), Southwell & Fletcher (1988), Southwell, Cairns et al. (1999), Southwell, Fletcher et al. (1995), Southwell, Weaver et al. (1995), Winter, Burnett & Martin (2008c).

Figures

47. Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), 48. Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus), 49. Red Kangaroo (Osphranter rufus), 50. Black Wallaroo (Osphranter bernardus), 51. Antilopine Wallaroo (Osphranter antilopinus), 52. Common Wallaroo (Osphranter robustus), 53. Whip-tailed Wallaby (Notamacropus parryi), 54. Agile Wallaby (Notamacropus agilis), 55. Red-necked Wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus), 56. Western Brush Wallaby (Notamacropus irma), 57. Black-striped Wallaby (Notamacropus dorsalis), 58. Tammar Wallaby (Notamacropus eugenii), 59. Parma Wallaby (Notamacropus parma)

Distribution. Coastal E Australia from Cooktown, NE Queensland, S to Grafton, NE New South Wales, and inland to W edge of Great Dividing Range.