Red-legged Pademelon - profile

Indicative distribution

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Key:

known

predicted

The areas shown in pink and/purple are the sub-regions where the species or community is known or predicted to occur. They may not occur thoughout the sub-region but may be restricted to certain areas. ( click here to see geographic restrictions). The information presented in this map is only indicative and may contain errors and omissions.

Scientific name: Thylogale stigmatica

Conservation status in NSW: Vulnerable

Commonwealth status: Not listed

Profile last updated: 08 Feb 2022

Description

A small, compact wallaby with soft, thick fur, grey brown above, pale grey below and rufous brown on the face, forearms, flanks and hind legs. The tail is short and thick.

Distribution

Patchily distributed along coastal and subcoastal eastern Australia from Cape York to the Hunter Valley in NSW. Southern range records are from the Watagan Mountains and the Wyong district. There are unconfirmed records from the western New England Tablelands (e.g. west of Emmaville). This species is also found in New Guinea.

Habitat and ecology

Inhabits forest with a dense understorey and ground cover, including rainforest, moist eucalypt forest and vine scrub.
Wet gullies with dense, shrubby ground cover provide shelter from predators.
In NSW, rarely found outside forested habitat.
They disperse from dense shelter areas to feed from late afternoon to early morning, favouring native grasses and herbs on the edge of the forest.
Also known to feed on fruits, young seedling leaves and stems, fungi and ferns.

Regional distribution and habitat

Click on a region below to view detailed distribution, habitat and vegetation information.

Threats

Loss or fragmentation of habitat due to land clearing and under scrubbing.
Predation by domestic and wild dogs/dingos.
Predation by foxes.
Inappropriate fire regime reducing or degrading habitat, especially as a result of overly frequent or intense fires and regular burning of forest margins.
Habitat degradation and grazing competition by feral horses, cattle, pigs, and rabbits.
Predation by feral cats.
Habitat degradation and grazing competition by domestic stock.
Climate change altering habitat and increasing risks associated with fire.
Intensive forestry practices resulting in, or exacerbating, habitat loss and fragmentation.
Broad scale lantana removal resulting in habitat loss.
Lack of information about disease prevalence and susceptibility.
Lack of knowledge around threatening processes and their interactions.

Recovery strategies

A targeted strategy for managing this species has been developed under the Saving Our Species program; click here for details. For more information on the Saving Our Species program click here

Activities to assist this species

Implement best-practice, strategic, adaptive management of invasive predators to benefit populations of pademelons.
Identify and implement restoration and revegetation projects at areas where connectivity between large areas of known habitat is compromised, with the aim of increasing the width, condition and security of critical landscape links.
Conduct strategic bush regeneration in areas of known habitat to progressively replace lantana understorey with native vegetation.
Negotiate agreements with relevant landholders (preferably in-perpetuity covenants) that maintain areas of habitat and vegetation connectivity between reserved areas. Where possible incorporate management strategies that maintain habitat quality such as grazing and fire management strategies.
Identify and implement restoration and revegetation projects at areas where connectivity between large areas of known habitat is compromised, with the aim of increasing the width, condition and security of critical landscape links.
Implement best-practice, strategic, adaptive management of invasive pigs, horses and rabbits to benefit populations of pademelons.
Liaise with land managers and consent authorities to ensure the maintenance of corridor vegetation connecting areas of key habitat during logging operations.
Implement best-practice, strategic management of cattle to benefit populations of pademelons.
Monitor species response to fire when implementing hazard reduction works in areas of known habitat. Monitoring should cover the altitudinal and latitudinal range of the species.
Opportunistically collect blood samples to investigate prevalence of disease and genetic diversity, store data in a centralised database.

Information sources

Menkhorst, P. and Knight, F. (2010) A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Third Edition. (Oxford University Press, South Melbourne)
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (2002) Threatened Species of the Lower North Coast of New South Wales. (NSW NPWS, Hurstville)
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (2002) Threatened Species of the Upper North Coast of NSW: Fauna. (NSW NPWS, Coffs Harbour)
Strahan, R. (ed.) (1995) The Mammals of Australia. (Australian Museum and Reed Books, Sydney)

IBRA Bioregion	IBRA Subregion	Known or predicted	Geographic restrictions region

New England Tablelands	Northeast Forest Lands	Predicted	None
New England Tablelands	Walcha Plateau	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Barrington	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Carrai Plateau	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Cataract	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Chaelundi	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Coffs Coast and Escarpment	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Comboyne Plateau	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Dalmorton	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Karuah Manning	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Macleay Hastings	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Mummel Escarpment	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Tomalla	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Upper Manning	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Washpool	Known	None
Other State	QLD	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Burringbar-Conondale Ranges	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Clarence Lowlands	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Scenic Rim	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Sunshine Coast-Gold Coast Lowlands	Predicted	None
South Eastern Queensland	Woodenbong	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Wyong	Known	West of Sydney to Newcastle Freeway
Sydney Basin	Yengo	Predicted	None

Images

Red-legged Pademelon Image 1 of 2.
View slideshow.

Nature conservation

Threatened species