Bettongia haoucharae Newman-Martin, Travouillon & Warburton, 2025:53
Little bettong
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Conservation Status
Extinct (Burbidge, 2024; Newman-Martin et al., 2025)
Last record: likely Holocene (Burbidge, 2024)
Distribution & Habitat
South Australia & Western Australia, Australia
Type locality: "“Blowhole 4km N. of Rawlinna’s Shearing Shed, or 60km S. of Rawlinna Siding”, Nullarbor Plain, Western Australia" (Newman-Martin et al., 2025:53)
Anatomy & Morphology
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Holotype: WAM 72.12.21 (juvenile, indeterminate sex; whole mummified animal) (Newman-Martin et al., 2025:53)
Paratypes:
WAM 67.10.31 ("juvenile skull with full molar eruption") (Newman-Martin et al., 2025:53)
WAM 67.10.523 ("partial juvenile skull, missing nasals, premaxillary, interparietal, and neurocranium, with M2 encrypt") (Newman-Martin et al., 2025:53)
WAM 67.10.530 ("adult left maxilla with P3-M3 present") (Newman-Martin et al., 2025:53)
WAM 66.12.11 ("partial juvenile skull, missing nasals, premaxilla, and left maxilla, M3 encrypt") (Newman-Martin et al., 2025:53)
WAM 67.5.44 ("partial juvenile skull, missing nasals, premaxilla, right maxilla, interparietal, and neurocranium, M2 encrypt") (Newman-Martin et al., 2025:53)
SAMA P59842 ("juvenile dentary with dp2-dp3, m1-m4") (Newman-Martin et al., 2025:53)
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Newman-Martin, Jake, Travouillon, Kenny J., Warburton, Natalie, Barham, Milo and Blyth, Alison J. (2025). A taxonomic revision of the Bettongia penicillata (Diprotodontia: Potoroidae) species complex and description of the subfossil species Bettongia haoucharae sp. nov. Zootaxa 5690(1): 1-69. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5690.1.1
Other references:
Burbidge, Andrew A. (2024). Australian terrestrial mammals: how many modern extinctions? Australian Mammalogy. https://doi.org/10.1071/AM23037
Haouchar, D., Pacioni, C., Haile, J., McDowell, M. C., Baynes, A., Phillips, M. J., Austin, J. J., Pope, L. C., and Bunce, M. (2016). Ancient DNA reveals complexity in the evolutionary history and taxonomy of the endangered Australian brush-tailed bettongs (Bettongia: Marsupialia: Macropodidae: Potoroinae). Biodiversity and Conservation 25: 2907-2927.
Richards, J. D. and Short, Jeff. (1996). History of the disappearance of native fauna from the Nullarbor Plain through the eyes of long‐time resident Amy Crocker. Western Australian Naturalist 21(2): 89-96.