Notamacropus agilis (Gould, 1842)

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 : 731-732

54.

Agile Wallaby

Notamacropus agilis

French: Wallaby agile / German: Flinkwallaby / Spanish: Ualabi agil

Other common names: Grass Wallaby, Jungle Wallaby, River Wallaby, Sandy Wallaby

Taxonomy. Halmaturus agilis Gould, 1842 ,

“ procured at Port Essington ,” Northern Territory, Australia.

Previously placed in genus Macropus , within which moved into subgenus Notamacropus in 1985; in 2015 Notamacropus was elevated to full genus status. Since three or four weakly differentiated subspecies are sometimes recognized (N. a. agilis , Northern Territory; N. a. jardin, Queensland; N. a. nigrescens, Western Australia; N. a. papuanus, New Guinea), a comprehensive morphological and genetic study is needed. Treated as monotypic.

Distribution. N Australia from Broome, Western Australia, E to Rockhampton, Queensland, as well as S & E lowlands of New Guinea (including Goodenough, Fergusson, and Kiriwina Is); known also from Hinchinbrook, Mornington, and Friday Is (Queensland), Adolphus and Mary Is (Western Australia), and Groote Eylandt, Bremer, Elcho, Tiwi, and Sir Edward Pellew Is (Northern Territory). An isolated population exists in far SE Queensland on islands of North Stradbroke and South Stradbroke, Russell, and Woogoompabh, as well as a small population on nearby mainland near Coomera.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 71-285 cm (males) and 59.3-72.2 cm (females), tail 69-2—-84 cm (males) and 58.7-70 cm (females); weight 16-27 kg (males) and 9-15 kg (females). A large,slender, light brown wallaby with a pointed face. Sandy-brown to orange-brown dorsally, with variable scattering of dark brown to black hairs particularly on back and rump, paler (fawn to white) ventrally. Pale cheek stripe, bordered by dark line through eye. Dark brown mid-dorsal stripe sometimes present between ears to line of eyes. Ear margins black, pale hip stripe. Lower limbs, face and tail pale grayish fawn; digits sometimes darker. Tail thinly furred with very short hairs, and sometimes darkens distally. Diploid chromosome numberis 16.

Habitat. Savanna grassland, as well as open forest and woodland with shrubby understory, adjacent to grassland, especially on valley floors and floodplains of creeks and rivers. Typically avoids hilly country. Common in rural and some peri-urban areas, often venturing close to roads and human habitation. Rests in dense cover, including monsoon rainforest, mangroves, buttress roots, fallen logs, and vine thickets, as well as the introduced weed species rubber vine ( Cryptostegia grandiflora , Apocynaceae ) along watercourses in drier areas. Forages in nearby open woodland and grassy clearings.

Food and Feeding. A generalist herbivore. Feeds primarily on ground-layer herbage, particularly forbs, grasses, legumes, and sedges, but selects grasses and legumes. Attracted to areas where grasses are regenerating after fire. In dry season, diet broadens to include browse, fallen and green fruit, flowers, seeds and pods,leaf litter, and bark. The stolons, tubers, and roots of grasses, sedges, and trees, obtained by digging to 30 cm or more, are also consumed in dry season, when observed also to eat garden mulch and cardboard. Individuals may suffer significant nutrition stress and a decline in body condition during dry season. Most individuals drink daily during dry season.

Breeding. Females reach sexual maturity from twelve months and males from 14 months. Breeds continuously throughout year, females producing one young per pregnancy. Some females, however, may become anestrous during periods of nutritional stress. Females exhibit embryonic diapause and a post-partum estrus, mating within 24 hours of giving birth. The estrous cycle is 28-41 (mean 32) days and gestation 28-31 (mean 30) days. Young spend 7-8 months in the pouch and are weaned at 10-12 months. After permanent pouch emergence, young accompanies the mother as a young-at-foot until after weaning. Adult males are significantly larger than adult females and have well-developed forelimbs, suggesting that there is intense competition among males for access to females. Males establish dominance relationships through repetitive, ritualized bouts of display, sparring, wrestling, and kicking. Males test the estrous state of females by eliciting urination, nosing the stream, and exhibiting flehmen (lip-curl). Females approaching estrus are followed by up to four males, with subordinate males chased by dominant male. Copulation is brief (two minutes).

Parma Wallaby ( Notamacropus parma ).

Activity patterns. Primarily nocturnal in dry season and on clear days in wet season. Spends daylight hours in shallow scrape within dense cover, emerging several hours before dusk to feed initially close to cover, but moving farther into open areas after dark. Returns to cover within a few hours of dawn. On overcast days in wet season, however, individuals forage in the open throughout day and night. Visits water mostly in evening, with a lesser morning peak, but rarely during night.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Sedentary. Individuals inhabiting floodplains regularly move to higher ground to escape inundation, but then return as water recedes to graze on abundant grass and sedges. Competent swimmers, crossing rivers, lakes, and short stretches of ocean to offshore islands. Average home ranges (95% adaptive kernel) are larger in males than in females and smaller in wet season (males 17 ha; females 11 ha) than in dry season (males 25 ha; females 15 ha) when food availability reduced. Moderately gregarious. Although most often seen alone, groups of ten or more (maximum 16) regularly occur. Group size larger in eucalypt woodland, which also had the higher population density, than in monsoon forest. Individuals in larger groups spend less time in scanning for predators and more time feeding in open habitat. Adult males and adult females with young-at-foot are most often seen alone, but group composition frequently changes.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Agile Wallaby is widespread and locally common throughout much of its range. In Australia, it is well represented in protected areas and is not currently facing any major threats. In some areas it has benefited from clearing and the establishment of crops and pasture. Occasionally it can have significant adverse impact on agriculture, its numbers then being reduced by shooting or poisoning. Agile Wallabies are also subject to local hunting by Aboriginal people in some areas. In New Guinea,this wallaby is not known from any protected areas and in the south-east is locally threatened by overhunting. As a favored game species, the Agile Wallaby is likely to have been deliberately introduced, both in prehistory and more recently, to some of the islands which it currently occupies both in Australia and in New Guinea. During 1990s, a population of Agile Wallabies became established in eastern Tasmania as a result of escapees from captivity, and these are now targeted for eradication owing to concerns about environmental impacts, including hybridization with endemic Red-necked Wallabies (N. rufogriseus ). Additional research into this species’ taxonomy, ecology, population structure, mating system, and dispersal is required.

Bibliography. Abbott & Burbidge (1995), Aplin, Dickman, Salas, Woinarski & Winter (2008), Bell (1973), Blumstein et al. (2003), Bolton et al. (1982), Calaby & Grigg (1989), Coulson & Croft (1981), Croft (1987), Dawson & Flannery (1985), Doody et al. (2007), Dressen (1993), Flannery (1995a, 1995b), Gibson & McKenzie (2012), Groves (2005b), Hayman (1989), Heinsohn (2003), Jackson & Groves (2015), Johnson, PM. (1980b, 2003), Kirkpatrick & Johnson (1969), Lavery (1985), Menzies (2011), Merchant (1976, 2008a), Pauza et al. (2014), Price et al. (2005), Ramsey & Engeman (1994), Stirrat (2002, 2003a, 2003b, 2004), Stirrat & Fuller (1997), Ziembicki et al. (2013).

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. N Australia from Broome, Western Australia, E to Rockhampton, Queensland, as well as S & E lowlands of New Guinea (including Goodenough, Fergusson, and Kiriwina Is); known also from Hinchinbrook, Mornington, and Friday Is (Queensland), Adolphus and Mary Is (Western Australia), and Groote Eylandt, Bremer, Elcho, Tiwi, and Sir Edward Pellew Is (Northern Territory). An isolated population exists in far SE Queensland on islands of North Stradbroke and South Stradbroke, Russell, and Woogoompabh, as well as a small population on nearby mainland near Coomera.