Peroryctes raffrayana (Milne-Edwards, 1878)

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Peramelidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 362-398 : 393

8.

Raffray’s Bandicoot

Peroryctes raffrayana

French: Bandicoot de Raffray / German: GroRer Neuguinea-Nasenbeutler / Spanish: Bandicut de Raffray

Other common names: Long-legged Bandicoot

Taxonomy. Perameles raffrayana Milne- Edwards, 1878 ,

“ Amberbaki,” Bird’s Head (= Vogelkop) , Manokwari Division, Papua Province (= Irian Jaya), Indonesia.

Two subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P.r.raffrayanaMilne-Edwards,1878—mostofNewGuinea,includingYapenI,inCenderawasih(=Geelvink)Bay.

P.r. rothschildi Forster, 1913 — Huon Peninsula, in NE New Guinea.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 27:5-39.2 cm, tail 13.2-17.9 cm; weight 0-65.1-1 kg. Adult males at least 20% heavier than females. Adult of nominate race has dorsal fur coarse and dull, dark brown in color; adult rothschild: retains some rufous tones. Ventral fur is pure white, unlike that of almost all other peramelids exceptfor the variably sized pure white patch on the chest of the Seram Bandicoot ( Rhynchomeles prattorum ). Ears are prominent, and tail dark and almost hairless. Juveniles of both subspecies are rich reddish tan, and darken with age.

Habitat. Evidently prefers undisturbed primary forest at altitudes of 1000-2000 m. It is absent from woodland and savanna habitats of the Trans-Fly and probably also from low-lying floodplain of Sepik River. Despite its preference for undisturbed forest, this bandicoot may occur also in mature secondary forest and old gardens, and has been recorded in lowland rainforest at altitudes as low as 50-60 m. On Huon Peninsula it has been recorded at 3900 m; here, trees are stunted or absent, and vegetation is dominated by herbs, shrubs, tree ferns, and tussock grassland. Nest sites have not been described in any detail, but anecdotal accounts suggest that the animals rest temporarily under piles of leaf litter and other debris in sheltered sites on forest floor.

Food and Feeding. Has been anecdotally reported to eat figs and fallen pandan fruits ( Pandanus , Pandanaceae ). There is no quantitative information on the diet but, as with many other peramelids,it is assumed to be omnivorous.

Breeding. Females with pouch young have been collected during March, June, August-September, November, and December. Although these records were obtained throughout the range of the species in New Guinea, they suggest that breeding can occur year-round. Females have eight nipples in a rear-facing pouch, and carry litters of one or two young.

Activity patterns. Radio-tracking of a single male showed the animal to be inactive on eight of ten occasions when it was located by day, but active on all ten occasions when tracked between 19:00 h and 02:00 h. General reports from trappers also indicate that this bandicoot is most likely to be captured after becoming active in the early evening between 19:00 h and 21:00 h.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. A large (1 kg) male of this species was shown by radio-tracking to move an average linear distance of 87 m between daytime shelters and to occupy a range of 2-7 ha. It is likely that this bandicootis socially intolerant, as are all peramelids that have been sufficiently well studied, but Daribi people (Chimbu Province) believe that the species nests communally.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The population trend is not known. This is an uncommon but widespread species. Because of its broad distribution and occurrence in areas that are formally protected or not disturbed,it is assumed to be reasonably secure. It is a favored game species in many areas, but there is no clear evidence that hunting depletes local populations or constitutes a major threat.

Bibliography. Aplin et al. (2010), Brass (1956, 1964), Cuthbert & Denny (2014), Dwyer (1983), Flannery (1995a, 1995b), George & Maynes (1990), Groves (2005c), Groves & Flannery (1990), Hide et al. (1984), Menzies (2011), Tate (1948b), Tate & Archbold (1937), Van Deusen (1972), Van Deusen & Jones (1967), Ziegler (1977, 1982).

Figures

On following pages: 3. Northern Brown Bandicoot (/soodon macrourus); 4. Western Barred Bandicoot (Perameles bougainville); 5. Eastern Barred Bandicoot (Perameles gunnii); 6. Long-nosed Bandicoot (Perameles nasuta), 7. Giant Bandicoot (Peroryctes broadbenti); 8. Raffray’s Bandicoot (Peroryctes raffrayana)

Subspecies and Distribution. P.r.raffrayanaMilne-Edwards,1878—mostofNewGuinea,includingYapenI,inCenderawasih(=Geelvink)Bay. P.r. rothschildi Forster, 1913 — Huon Peninsula, in NE New Guinea.