Biology

Zoology

Australian Zoologist

The Musky Rat-kangaroo, Hypsiprymnodon moschatus, is described. Its present distribution and habitat are defined. An account is given of its diet and of its feeding, grooming, locomotory, nest-building, courtship and social behaviour. Earlier reports that two young may be reared simultaneously are confirmed. Attention is drawn to a number of unspecialised characters including the distribution of vibrissae, limb proportions, structure of the manus and pes, presence of a mobile hallux, the non-saltatory gait, presence of a vestigial lower second molar, and an unsacculated stomach. Although these characters indicate that Hypsiprymnodon is a ‘primitive’ macropod, it is concluded that there is such a close relationship between the Hypsiprymnodontinae and the Potoroinae that the subfamilial distinction is unwarranted, unless the macropods be elevated to a superfamily Macropodoidea, comprising the families Macropodidae and Potoroidae.

A further description of the Musky Rat-Kangaroo,Hypsiprymnodon moschatusRamsay, 1876 (Marsupialia, Potoroidae), with notes on its biology