Bettongia ogilbyi francisca Finlayson, 1957:552
Nuyt's bettong (proposed)
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Bettongia penicillata francisca Finlayson, 1957
Treated as a subjective synonym of Bettongia penicillata penicillata by (Jackson & Groves, 2015:137 contra Newman-Martin et al., 2025:62). However, de Torres & Marlow (2023:293) imply that it may be valid. A taxonomic revision of the B. penicillata species complex by (Newman-Martin et al., 2025) reinstated the taxon and transferred it under the newly-elevated B. ogilbyi.
Conservation Status
Extinct (Newman-Martin et al., 2025)
Last record: subfossil or later (specimens) (Finlayson, 1957; Newman-Martin et al., 2025); between 1920's and 1971 (population) (Start et al., 1995; Maxwell et al., 1996)
"Bettongia penicillata francisca was described as a subspecies based on a subfossil cranium from Saint Francis Island, South Australia. The bettongs of St. Francis Island are believed to have gone extinct sometime between the 1920 and 1971 (Start et al. 1995) due to the deliberate introduction of cats to the island to exterminate bettongs and prevent damage to crops (Delroy et al. 1986)."
(Newman-Martin et al., 2025:5)
Distribution & Habitat
St. Francis Island, Nuyt's Archipelago, South Australia, Australia
Type locality: "St Francis Is., Nuyt's Archipelago, S.A." (Calaby & Richardson, 1988:56), but some uncertainty exists (Aitken, 1976; but see Newman-Martin et al., 2025:43)
No material from the B. penicillata species complex outside St. Francis Island is attributable to B. o. francisca (Newman-Martin et al., 2025:43).
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Holotype: SAMA M5484 (adult, sex unknown; partial skull without mandible) (Calaby & Richardson, 1988:56]; Newman-Martin et al., 2025:43)
Referred specimens:
SAMA M8553 (Newman-Martin et al., 2025:43)
SAMA 10066a (Newman-Martin et al., 2025:43)
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Finlayson, Hedley Herbert. (1957). Preliminary description of two new forms of Bettongia (Marsupialia). Annals And Magazine of Natural History 10: 552-554. [Abstract]
Other references:
Aitken, P. F. (1976). Vertebrate type-specimens in the South Australian Museum V. Mammals. Rec. S. Aust. Mus. 17: 197-203.
Calaby, J. H. and Richardson, B. J. (1988). Potoroidae, pp. 53-59. In: Walton, D. W. (ed.). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 5. Mammalia. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. x + 273 pp. [p. 56]
de Torres, P. J. and Marlow, N. J. (2023). Brush-tailed Bettong, Bettongia penicillata, pp. 293-295. In: Baker, Andrew M. and Gynther, Ian C. (eds.). Strahan’s Mammals of Australia (4th ed.). Wahroonga, NSW: Reed New Holland Publishers. 848 pp.
Delroy, L. B., Earl, J., Radbone, I., Robinson, A. C. and Hewett, M. (1986). The Breeding and Reestablishment of the Brush‐Tailed Bettong, Bettongia penicillata, in South‐Australia. Wildlife Research 13(3): 387-396.
https://doi.org/10.1071/WR9860387
Groves, Colin P. (1993). Order Diprotodontia, pp. 45-62. In: Wilson, D. E. and Reeder, D. A. (eds.). Mammals Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 2nd edition. Washington, USA: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Jackson, Stephen and Groves, Colin P. (2015). Taxonomy of Australian Mammals. Clayton South, Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing. 529 pp. [p. 137]
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
Robinson, T., Canty, P., Mooney, T. and Rudduck, P. (1996). South Australia’s offshore islands. Adelaide: Of Environment and Natural Resources.
Start, T., Burbidge, Andrew A. and Armstrong, D. (1995). Woylie recovery plan. Department of Conservation and Land Management, Como, v + 15 + 5 pp.