Apparent piebald variants in quolls (Dasyurus): examples of three recent cases in the spotted-tailed quoll Dasyurus maculatus
Simon B. Z. Gorta
A , Brendan Alting A E , Andrew Claridge B C and Timothy Henderson D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052 NSW, Australia.
B NSW Department of Primary Industries, Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, 11 Farrer Place, Queanbeyan, NSW 2620, Australia.
C School of Science, University of New South Wales, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
D School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.
E Corresponding author. Email: brendanalting@gmail.com
Australian Mammalogy 43(3) 373-377 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM20058
Submitted: 28 August 2020 Accepted: 2 December 2020 Published: 21 January 2021
Abstract
Pelage patterning plays an important role in animal behaviour. Variation in pelage patterns can change with pigment distribution and quantity in individuals. We present three cases of apparent piebaldism – a condition where the body is patchily unpigmented – in the spotted-tailed quoll Dasyurus maculatus. Using a comprehensive dataset of historical descriptions (from Dunlop et al. 2020), we conclude that these cases represent the first description of this phenotype in the genus Dasyurus, but acknowledge capture and testing of these individuals is required to be certain of the cause. Little is known about the implications of pelage patterning in quoll species and further investigation is required to understand the evolutionary and functional role of unaffected and unpigmented variants.
Keywords: albinism, animal colouration, citizen science, c-KIT, coat colour, fur patterns, leucism, marsupial, pelage pattern, piebaldism, spotted-tailed quolls, unpigmentation.
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