Prey of the silver-headed antechinus (Antechinus argentus), a new species of Australian dasyurid marsupial

Abstract

The silver-headed antechinus (Antechinus argentus) is one of Australia’s most recently described mammals, and the single known population at Kroombit Tops in south-east Queensland is threatened. Nothing is known of the species’ ecology, so during 2014 we collected faecal pellets each month (March–September) from a population at the type locality to gather baseline data on diet composition. A total of 38 faecal pellets were collected from 12 individuals (eight females, four males) and microscopic analysis of pellets identified seven invertebrate orders, with 70% combined mean composition of beetles (Coleoptera: 38%) and cockroaches (Blattodea: 32%). Other orders that featured as prey were ants, crickets/grasshoppers, butterflies/moths, spiders, and true bugs. Given that faecal pellets could only be collected from a single habitat type (Eucalyptus montivaga high-altitude open forest) and location, this is best described as a generalist insectivorous diet that is characteristic of other previously studied congeners.

Plant diversity and structure describe the presence of a new, threatened Australian marsupial within its highly restricted, post-fire habitat

“…While other Antechinus species have diverse insectivorous diets, sometimes supplemented with soft, ground-dwelling invertebrates or small vertebrates [ 53 – 55 ], A . argentus has a diet dominated by just two invertebrate orders: Coleoptera and Blattodea [ 56 ]. Both of these are typically found in unburnt or regenerating Xanthorrhoea with dense skirts [ 19 , 37 ], indicating that X .…”

Vegetation structure and ground cover attributes describe the occurrence of a newly discovered carnivorous marsupial on the Tweed Shield Volcano caldera, the endangered black‐tailed dusky antechinus (Antechinus arktos)

“…Fine-scale incidence of A. arktos was influenced greatest by percentage cover of leaf litter, then rock cover, and finally moss/lichen. According to Gray et al (2016), like most antechinus and many dasyurids (e.g., see Dickman, 1983;Dickman, 2014;Dunlop, Rayner, & Doherty, 2017;Fisher & Dickman, 1993;Mason, Burwell, & Baker, 2015;Pearce, Burwell, & Baker, 2017;Scarff, Rhind, & Bradley, 1998), A. arktos is a generalist forager. However, Gray et al (2016) also found A. arktos consumes considerably higher volumes of dipteran (fly) larvae and Diplopoda (millipedes) than its sympatric congener, A. stuartii.…”

Conservation of Australian insectivorous marsupials: biogeography, macroecology and life history

“…Antechinus species in Queensland range in mass from an average of 15g to 75g (Baker et al, 2012). The antechinus diet is generalist and is predominantly composed of arthropods, although some species will supplement with small vertebrates (Fisher & Dickman, 1993a;Gray et al, 2017b;Mason et al, 2015). Some species are purely terrestrial and forage in the leaf litter, while others are semi-arboreal and also forage on trees (Lazenby-Cohen & Cockburn, 1988).…”

“…Nine species occur in this area and species are sometimes separated by elevation zones on the same mountain ). The antechinus diet is generalist and predominantly composed of arthropods, with some vertebrates and fruit (Gray et al, 2017b;Mason et al, 2015;Pearce et al, 2017).…”