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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 32(2)

The diet of some New Guinean dasyurid marsupials

G. L. Grossek A C , P. A. Woolley A D and J. I. Menzies B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Zoology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Vic. 3086, Australia.

B Jordan Laboratory DP427, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.

C Present address: Department of Sustainability and Environment, 8 Nicholson Street, Melbourne, Vic. 3002, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: p.woolley@latrobe.edu.au

Australian Mammalogy 32(2) 145-155 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM10002
Submitted: 6 January 2010  Accepted: 5 May 2010   Published: 5 August 2010

Abstract

We investigated the diets of five forest-dwelling species of dasyurid marsupials endemic to New Guinea by using faecal and gut content analysis and compared the contents with the results of pitfall trapping for terrestrial invertebrates carried out coincidently. In one study area, in montane forest 2060–2340 m above sea level, three dasyurid species were trapped. In another area, in forest 1000–1470 m above sea level, two other species were captured. All five species ate a diverse range of invertebrates but beetles (Coleoptera) and spiders (Araneae) formed the bulk of their diet, followed by grasshoppers and crickets (Orthoptera). Earthworms (Annelida) were eaten by all species and some vertebrate remains were found in samples from four species. We found some significant differences between diets of the sympatric species. Some of the invertebrates commonly collected in pitfall traps, such as isopods (Isopoda) and amphipods (Amphipoda), were rarely detected in the diets of any of the species and millipedes (Diplopoda) and centipedes (Chilopoda) were never detected. Our results are broadly in agreement with what is known about the diets of the small Australian species of dasyurid marsupials.

Additional keywords: Phascolosorex dorsalis, Murexia naso, Murexia habbema, Murexia melanurus, Murexia longicaudata.


Acknowledgements

This study was carried out with financial support from La Trobe University and PNG Forest Products Ltd Approval to undertake the study was given by the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Morobe Provincial Government. Laboratory facilities and lodgings were provided for Grossek and Woolley by the Wau Ecology Institute. We are grateful to Dr A. Allison and Dr T. New for assistance in various ways, including identification of frogs and reptiles (Allison) and insects (New); to Dr M. Hutchinson for identification of vertebrate bones; to Peter Brown for instruction in the technique for detecting earthworm chaetae and to Michael Buka, Hereon Yori, Petrus Sipango and Diro Manawe for assistance in the field.


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