Murexia xenochromus
| Murexia xenochromus | |
|---|---|
| File:Murexia xenochromus specimen.jpg | |
| Preserved specimen | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Dasyuromorphia |
| Family: | Dasyuridae |
| Genus: | Murexia |
| Species: | M. xenochromus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Murexia xenochromus Tate & Archbold, 1941
| |
| |
| Murexia xenochromus range | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Micromurexia xenochromus Van Dyck, 2002 | |
Murexia xenochromus or the grey dasyure is a species of marsupial in the family Dasyuridae found in the central highlands of West Papua, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitat is rocky areas.[1][2]
Some authorities place it in the genus Micromurexia along with Murexia hageni and Murexia habbema.[3]
Description
The grey dasyure is a medium-sized marsupial and is uniformly grey in coloration with no markings of stripes or spots. Only the tail, on the underside of which there is a distinctive crest of hair, is in most cases two-tone, with a dark upper side and a light underside. However, it can also be monochromatic dark grey. The claws are slender and slightly curved. The grey dasyure reaches a head-body length of 11.2 to 12.2 (males) or 11 to 11.7 cm (females), has a 10.9 to 15.7 (males) or 11.9 to 14.3 cm (females) long tail and can reach a weight of 28.4 to 45.4 (males) or 22.7 to 31.2 g (females).
Habitat and Behaviour
It occurs in mountain forests, in southern beech forests and in subalpine grassland at altitudes of 1600 to 3660 meters and prefers primary forests with heavy moss growth. The grey dasyure is nocturnal and stays mostly on the ground, using underground cavities as resting places. Little is known about the behaviour of the grey dasyure due to its nocturnal lifestyle and avoidance of humans.
Systematics
The grey dasyure was historically placed the genus Murexia but a study in 2002 concluded that it should be placed in the genus Micromurexia along with the Habbema dasyure. This conclusion was supported by Colin Groves in a 2005 study based on cladistic analyses. However, a molecular genetic study in 2007 confirmed the monophyly of Murexia and this is the view adopted by the IUCN.
References
- ^ a b Leary, T.; Seri, L.; Wright, D.; Hamilton, S.; Helgen, K.; Singadan, R.; Menzies, J.; Allison, A.; James, R.; Dickman, C.; Lunde, D.; Aplin, K.; Woolley, P. (2016). "Murexia xenochromus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T1589A21943099. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T1589A21943099.en. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ "Murexia xenochromus". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 30. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
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