Taxonomy of Rock-wallabies, Petrogale (Marsupialia: Macropodidae). II. An Historical Review.

Abstract

The indigenous Australian genus Petrogale (rock-wallabies) consists of small to medium sized macropodids that are found throughout mainland Australia. As their name implies, rock-wallabies live in rocky habitats, preferring steep rocky slopes, cliffs, gorges, rocky outcrops and boulder piles (Sharman and Maynes 1983a). Many rock-wallaby species are distinctively marked, brightly coloured and are amongst the most beautiful of all macropods. Although well known to Aboriginal Australians for (at least) tens of thousands of years, rock-wallabies were only "discovered" by European explorers and naturalists in the early 19th century. Considerable variation in size, pelage characteristics and skull morphology has lead to the formal scientific description of 26 taxa in the last 170 years. The history of the scientific "discovery" of Petrogale in Australia and their subsequent taxonomy is long and fascinating. It is a story dominated by uncertainty and considerable speculation surrounding the inter-relationships of many taxa. It is in this historical context of confusion and contradiction that the current comprehensive genetic studies of rock- wallabies have both their significance and their genesis.