Morphological variation within Antechinus agilis and Antechinus stuartii (Marsupialia : Dasyuridae)

Abstract

A study of morphological variation within and between Antechinus stuartii and A. agilis was undertaken to assess whether previously described diagnostic features of these taxa apply across their ranges. This also allowed resolution of the identity of Antechinus populations from southern New South Wales and Victoria, and identification of areas of sympatry between these two taxa. Morphological variation within both of these taxa was also quantified. Both species are extremely variable in size, and the characters used to diagnose the taxa do not appear to be consistent across the species' ranges. It was confirmed that all populations studied within Victoria are A. agilis. In addition to Kioloa on the south coast of New South Wales, another area of sympatry was identified in the Newnes Plateau, west of Sydney. There is some latitudinal and altitudinal variation in morphology and nipple number, which may be related to the seasonal availability of resources between different geographical areas.