Notamacropus dorsalis (Gray, 1837)

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 : 733

57.

Black-striped Wallaby

Notamacropus dorsalis

French: Wallaby a raie noire / German: Rickenstreif-Wallaby / Spanish: Ualabi de rayas negras

Other common names: Pademelon, Scrub Wallaby

Taxonomy. Halmaturus dorsalis Gray, 1837 ,

No type locality given. Identified by T. Iredale and E. Le G. Troughton in 1934 as “ probably interior (Namoi Hills) , 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. E Australia from Chillagoe, NE Queensland, S to Coonabarabran, NE New South Wales, and W to Blackall, SC Queensland.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 61:6-82 cm (males) and 48.1-61.7 cm (females), tail 65-6—83-2 cm (males) and 52:1-61.9 cm (females); weight 8:7-21 kg (males) and 5.2-7.6 kg (females). Grizzled gray-brown dorsally, pale gray to white ventrally. Rufous across shoulders and arms. Legs paler than body, especially on inside. Prominent black mid-dorsal stripe from forehead to lower back. Outside of ears darkens toward tips, inside lower margin of ears white. Muzzle, paws, and feet black, white cheek stripe to below eye; prominent white hip stripe. Tail covered with short fine fur, sometimes darkens distally. Diploid chromosome number is 16.

Habitat. Forest and woodland with dense shrub understory, including rainforest margins, brigalow ( Acacia harpophylla , Fabaceae ), and vine thickets. Also utilizes thickets of introduced weed species the rubber vine ( Cryptostegia grandiflora , Apocynaceae ) and lantana ( Lantana , Verbenaceae ).

Food and Feeding. A grazer. At least twelve grass species and sedges comprise majority of diet. Consumes mainly leaf rather than stems of grasses, preferring soft, short species and avoiding fibrous, tussock grasses. Limited amounts of forbs, browse, seeds, grass seed-heads, and fruit are also eaten. In dry season, more dicotyledons, particularly woody browse, are consumed.

Breeding. Females reach sexual maturity from eleven months and males from 16 months. Females breed throughout year, producing one young per pregnancy. Females exhibit embryonic diapause and post-partum estrus, usually mating within 24 hours of giving birth. Gestation is 33-36 (mean 34) days long. Young spend 6-5-7-5 months in the pouch and are weaned 3-5 months later. After permanent pouch emergence, young accompanies the mother as a young-at-foot until after weaning. Adult males are significantly larger than adult females, suggesting intense competition among males for access to females.

Activity patterns. Nocturnal and wary; spends the day resting in dense vegetation, often in groups. Emerges in evening, along well-established pathways,to feed at night in more open grassy areas. Will also feed in area of dense vegetation. Generally returns to cover prior to dawn.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Sedentary. Ranges are centered on the ecotone between cover and open foraging areas. Individuals often venture hundreds of meters from cover to feed in grassland. Average home-range size (95% harmonic mean) is 91 ha for both males and females; ranges overlap extensively with those of other individuals of both sexes. Gregarious; most often seen alone at onesite, but typically in groups of 2-6 at anothersite. Rests and forages in open-membership groups of 20 or more individuals of both sexes. Size and composition of these groups is relatively fluid over time, and long-term associations between individuals are not apparent. In captivity, low levels of aggression and high levels of female—female and male—female allogrooming were observed.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Although large areas of Black-striped Wallaby habitat have been cleared for agriculture, this is still a relatively widespread and sometimes locally common species, especially in north of its range. It occurs in some protected areas, although the area of high-quality habitat reserved is limited. The Black-striped Wallaby continues to be threatened by loss and degradation of its diurnal shelter. The impact of predation by introduced Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) in south of its range is uncertain. In New South Wales only remnant populations remain and it is listed as a threatened species, while in parts of central Queensland it appears to have benefited from habitat fragmentation and is regarded as an agricultural pest. This macropodid was reported to have been introduced to Kawau Island, New Zealand, in 1870s, but this has been questioned and there is no evidence that the species ever became established there. Additional research on its social structure, mating system, and dispersal, and also on the impact of threats, is required.

Bibliography. Baxter et al. (2001), Calaby & Grigg (1989), Dawson & Flannery (1985), Ellis et al. (1992), Evans (1992, 1996), Evans & Jarman (1999), Groves (2005b), Hayman (1989), Heathcote (1989), Hoolihan & Goldizen (1998), Iredale & Troughton (1934), Jackson & Groves (2015), Jarman et al. (1991), Johnson, PM. (2003, 2008a), Johnson & Delean (2002a), Kaufmann (1974a), King (2005), Lavery (1985), McKenzie & Cooper (1995), Menkhorst & Knight (2001), Southwell et al. (1999), Winter, Burnett & Menkhorst (2008), Wodzicki & Flux (1967).

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. E Australia from Chillagoe, NE Queensland, S to Coonabarabran, NE New South Wales, and W to Blackall, SC Queensland.