Dendrolagus mayri Rothschild & Dollman, 1933
Wondiwoi tree-kangaroo
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Dendrolagus dorianus mayri Rothschild & Dollman, 1933
Conservation Status
Rediscovered?
Last record: 1928 (Fisher & Blomberg, 2012; Lee et al., 2017)
IUCN RedList status: Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct)
The only known specimen of the Wondiwoi tree-kangaroo was collected by Ernst Mayr in 1928. It has not been officially recorded since, however, several photographs taken by Michael Smith in July 2018 may refer to this species (Pickrell, 2018).
Distribution
Wondiwoi Peninsula, New Guinea
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Holotype: BM1939.2931 (adult male)
Only known from the holotype collected by Ernst Mayr in 1928.
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Rothschild, W. and Dollman, G. (1933/6). The genus Dendrolagus. Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond. 21: 477-548.
Other references:
Fisher, Diana O. and Blomberg, Simon P. (2012). Inferring Extinction of Mammals from Sighting Records, Threats, and Biological Traits. Conservation Biology 26(1): 57-67. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2011.01797.x
Fisher, Diana O. and Humphreys, Aelys M. (2024). Evidence for modern extinction in plants and animals. Biological Conservation 298: 110772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110772
Flannery, T.F. 1995. The Mammals of New Guinea, 2nd edition. Reed Books, Sydney, Australia.
Groves, C.P. 2005. Order Diprotodontia. In: D.E. Wilson and D.M. Reeder (eds), Mammal Species of the World, pp. 43-70. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Helgen, K. M. 2007. A Taxonomic and Geographic Overview of the Mammals of Papua. In: A. J. Marshall and B. M. Beehler (eds), The Ecology of Papua, pp. 689-749. Periplus Editions, Singapore.
Holmes, Branden. (2021). What's Lost and What Remains: The Sixth Extinction in 100 Accounts (eBook). Self published.
Laurie, Eleanor Mary Ord and Hill, John Edwards. (1954). List of Land Mammals of New Guinea, Celebes and Adjacent Islands, 1758-1952. London: British Museum (Natural History).
Leary, T., Seri, L., Flannery, T., Wright, D., Hamilton, S, Helgen, K., Singadan, R., Menzies, J., Allison, A. & James, R. 2016. Dendrolagus mayri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T136668A21956785. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T136668A21956785.en. Downloaded on 06 May 2018.
Lee, T. E., Fisher, D. O., Blomberg, S. P. and Wintle, B. A. (2017). Extinct or still out there? Disentangling influences on extinction and rediscovery helps to clarify the fate of species on the edge. Global Change Biology 23(2): 621-634. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13421
Pickrell, John. (25 September 2018). Rare Tree Kangaroo Reappears After Vanishing for 90 Years. National Geographic. Accessed 25 September 2018.
http://extinctanimals.proboards.com/thread/23375/dendrolagus-mayri