Diet of the mulgara, Dasycercus cristicauda (Marsupialia : Dasyuridae), in the Simpson Desert, central Australia

Abstract

The diet of the mulgara, Dasycercus cristicauda, from the Simpson Desert in Queensland, was analysed using scats collected between 1990 and 1995. Insects, arachnids and rodents were the main classes of prey of D. cristicauda, but reptiles, centipedes and small marsupials were also consumed. Insects represented 92% by percentage frequency of occurrence in scats, while rodents represented 33% by percentage frequency. Invertebrate prey ≥6 mm in length and vertebrate prey occurred frequently in scats, but small prey ( 1–5 mm), when present, occurred in large numbers. D. cristicauda ate more individual prey items in spring and winter than in autumn, and more large-sized prey in spring than in autumn. In autumn, D. cristicauda consumed mostly insects (100% by frequency) and few rodents (8%), but in winter and spring, switched to rodents (38% and 47% respectively) and insects (88% and 93% respectively). Seasonal shifts in diet may reflect changes in the availability of different groups of prey, or changes in prey selectivity by D. cristicauda in response to costs imposed by seasonal reproduction. The dietary flexibility of D. cristicauda may allow individuals to occupy stable ranges, and has perhaps also promoted the persistence of the species in arid areas that have been subjected to changes in land use since European settlement.