Momotremes

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Momotremes Marsupials

• Mammalogy Labs 7 8
• 1, 3 October 2003

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Class Mammalia

• Subclass Prototheria
• Order Monotremata
• Subclass Theria
• Infraclass Metatheria (Marsupialia)
• Order Didelphimorphia Opossums
• Order Paucituberculata Rat Opossums
• Order Microbiotheria Monito del monte
• Order Dasyuromorphia Thylacines, numbats,
  dasyures
• Order Peramelemorphia Bandicoots
• Order Notoryctemorphia Marsupial mole
• Order Diprotodontia Koalas, wombats, kangaroos,
  etc

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Order Monotremata

• Diagnostic Synapomorphies
• Pectoral girdle with procoracoids, coracoids and
  interclavicle
• oviparous

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Order Monotremata

• Range restricted to Australia and New Guinea
• Ankle with spur
• Electroreceptors on snout
• Mammae without nipples
• Edentulous as adults
• Cloaca as common excretory, urinary and genital
  orifice
• Limbs modified for swimming or digging

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Monotremes
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Monotremes
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Mosaic Evolution

• Modification of structures within an organism at
  different rates.
• Natural selection operates on individuals, but
  different parts of an organism experience
  different intensities of selectional pressure
• Some structures can be highly derived in an
  organism that retains other primitive
  characteristics

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Order Monotremata

• Primitive characters
• Therapsid shoulder girdle
• Sprawled posture
• Cervical ribs
• Mammae without nipples
• Cloaca
• Oviparity
• No auditory bulla

• Derived characters
• Electroreception
• Rhinarium
• Highly modified limbs
• Reduced dentition
• spurs

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Infraclass Metatheria(Marsupials)

• Old classification placed all marsupials in a
  single order
• More recent classifications have recognized the
  diversity and radiation of Marsupials
• Marsupials now separated into seven orders
• Range, North America, Central America, South
  America, Australia, New Guinea, adjacent islands
  

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Infraclass Metatheria

• Diagnostic Synapomorphies
• Jugal forming part of mandibular fossa
• Inflected angular process of mandible
• Alisphenoid large forming part of auditory bulla
• Fenestrated palatine bones

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Syndactyly
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Nearctic Neotropical MetatheriaAmeridelphia

• Order Didelphimorphia
• opossums
• Order Paucituberculata
• shrew opossums
• Order Microbiotheria
• Dromiciops

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Order DidelphimorphiaFamily Didelphidae

• North, Central South America
• Polyprotodont dentition
• Multiple incisors of equal size
• Opposable, clawless halux
• Feet non-syndactylous
• Tail long, usually prehensile
• Marsupium usually present as fold of skin
  protecting nipples

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Order DidelphimorphiaFamily Didelphidae
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Order PaucituberculataFamily Caenolestidae

• Shrew Opossums
• South America
• Forests of Andes
• Disjunct distributions
• Diverse in Miocene Oligocene
• 3 extant genera
• Diprotodont dentition
• i1 large procumbent
• Non-syndactylous feet
• No marsupium

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Order PaucituberculataFamily Caenolestidae
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Order PaucituberculataFamily Caenolestidae
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Order MicrobiotheriaFamily Microbiotheriidae

• Dromiciops australis
• Monotypic
• Insects and Vegetation
• Polyprotodont dentition
• Temperate forests of Chile and Argentina
• Monotreme-like cloaca
• Stores fat in tail
• May use torpor

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Australasian Metatheria

• Order Dasyuromorphia
• Thylacines, numbats, dasyures
• Order Peramelemorphia
• Bandicoots
• Order Notoryctemorphia
• Marsupial mole
• Order Diprotodontia
• Koalas, wombats, kangaroos, wallabies, etc

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Order Dasyuromorphia

• Polyprotodont dentition
• Nonsyndactylous
• Three families
• Dasyuridae
• Myrmecobiidae
• Thylacinidae

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Order DasyuromorphiaFamily Dasyuridae

• Four subfamilies, 15 genera, 61 species
• Australia New Guinea
• Not syndactylous
• Many species lack marsupium
• Carnivorous and insectivorous
• Polyprotodont dentition
• Palatal fenestration reduced or absent in some
  species

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Order DasyuromorphiaFamily Dasyuridae

• Insectivore with a compressed skull
• Squeezes into cracks and uses head as shovel
• Narrow-nosed planigale (Planigale tenurirostris)

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Tasmanian Devil
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Order DasyuromorphiaFamily Dasyuridae

• Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)
• Largest marsupial carnivore
• Nocturnal
• Scavenger
• Posteriorly facing marsupuim

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Order DasyuromorphiaFamily Dasyuridae
Nocturnal Carnivorous Four species of quolls
Spotted tailed Quoll Dasyurus maculatus
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Order DasyuromorphiaFamily Thylacinidae
Tasmanian wolf (Thylacinus cynocephalus)
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Tasmanian wolf (Thylacinus cynocephalus)

• Largest marsupial carnivore
• 20-25 kg 1000 2000 mm total length
• Polyprotodont
• Pouch near tail with four mammae
• Probably nocturnal
• Probably extinct
• Direct persecution
• Habitat destruction
• Competition with domestic dogs

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Order DasyuromorphiaFamily Myrmecobiidae

• Monotypic family
• Current range sw Western Aust. formerly extended
  into cent. Australia
• Diurnal, solitary
• No marsupium
• Young attach to nipple, remain ca. 4 months
• Protected by thick fur
• Left in burrow, nursing continues another 2-3
  months
• Eat only ants termites
• Small but numerous teeth
• Extensible tongue

Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus)
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Order DasyuromorphiaFamily Myrmecobiidae
Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus)
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Order NotoryctemorphiaFamily Notoryctidae

• Marsupial moles two species
• Highly convergent on Golden moles (Eutheria)
• No visible eyes
• No pinnae
• Small, posteriorly facing marsupium
• Southern and western Australia
• Dig through sand
• Eat inverts

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Order NotoryctemorphiaFamily Notoryctidae
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Order Peramelemorphia

• Two families
• Perimelidae - Bandicoots, bilbies,
• Peroryctidae - spiny bandicoots
• Insectivorous
• Polyprotodont dentition
• Hindfoot specialized for running
• Monodactyl (see Vaughan, Fig. 6-17)
• Marsupium opens to rear

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Family Paramelidae
Bibly
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Family Peramelidae Macrotis lagostisGreater
Bilby

• Nocturnal
• Insectivorous
• Fossorial
• In decline due to habitat destruction, trapping
  for fur, predation, poisoning
• Posteriorly opening marsupium

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Order Diprotodontia

• Kangaroos, wombats, koalas, cuscuses, gliders and
  their pals
• 10 families and 117 species
• Both syndactylous and diprotodont
• Herbivorous or secondarily insectivorous

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Order DiprotodontiaFamily Phalangeridae

• Phalangers, cuscus, brush-tailed possum,
  scaly-tailed possum.
• Prehensile tail.
• Arboreal.
• Wooly fur.
• Large hands and feet
• Digits 1 2 opposable to 3, 4 5 on hand
• Low BMR.
• Omnivores

Southern Common Cuscus (Phalanger
intercastellanus).
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Order DiprotodontiaFamily Tarsipedidae

• One species, the noolbenger.
• Tiny 7-12grams
• Prehensile tail
• Modified nectarivore (reduced cheek teeth)
• Similar to Phyllostomidae and Tarsius.

Honey Possum (Tarsipes rostratus)
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Order DiprotodontiaFamily Pseudocheiridae

• Foliovores with modified cheek teeth
• Large caecum
• Coprophagous
• Glides more than 100m making 90 degree turns.
• Patagium only to elbow.
• Some have green fur, presumably for crypsis.

Greater glider (Petauroides volans)
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Order DiprotodontiaFamily Petauridae

• Relatively small (100-700g).
• Prehensile tail.
• Patagium from ankles to wrists.
• Sharp claws.
• Eat sap and nectar, although some terrestrial
  insectivores.
• Scent important for group cohesion.

Sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps).
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Order DiprotodontiaFamily Petauridae
Striped possum (Dactylopsila trivirgata).
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Order DiprotodontiaFamily Burramyidae

• Feathertail Glider (Acrobates pygmaeus)
• 2 species
• Stiff hairs on tail
• 15g (smallest gliders)
• Insectivores/nectarivores with embryonic diapause

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Order DiprotodontiaFamily Vombatidae

• Rodent like herbivores
• Large masseter
• Teeth evergrowing
• Burrowers
• Save energy by staying in burrow
• Weights up to 40 kg

Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus
krefftii)
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Skull rodent-like Single pair of incisors Large
diastema Hypsodont, bilophodont cheek teeth
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Order DiprotodontiaFamily Phascolarctidae

• Specialized herbivore
• 8-12 kilograms
• Sedentary
• Slow growing save energy by staying in trees
• 5-7 mo. pouch life

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
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Order DiprotodontiaFamily Phascolarctidae
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Order DiprotodontiaFamily Macropodidae

• Ecological equivalents of antelope
• 900g-90kg
• Feeding similar to artiodactyls (no upper
  incisors)
• Saculated gut
• Nocturnal, diurnal, crepuscular
• Bipedal
• saltatory locomotion
• Run 60-70km/hr

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Order DiprotodontiaFamily Macropodidae

• Well developed, anteriorly opening pouch
• Can support three litters of young simulatneously
• One inutero
• One in pouch
• One mobile but still nursing