Indicative distribution
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.
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The information presented in this map is only indicative and may contain errors and omissions.
Scientific name: Cercartetus concinnus
Gazetted date:
08 Aug 1997
Profile last updated:
07 Sep 2017
Description
The Western Pygmy Possum is a small (weighing between 8 and 21 grams), nocturnal marsupial. It is fawn or reddish-brown above and white below, with a finely-scaled, naked tail. Adults are between 64 and 106 millimetres (average 80) long, with a similar length (53 to 101 mm) prehensile tail that is held coiled and aids its movement through the foliage. Within its range in NSW it is unlikely to be confused with any other species, though in other parts of its distribution it overlaps with the smaller, more uniform in colour Little Pygmy-possum (C. lepidus).
Distribution
The Western Pygmy Possum occurs in temperate to arid woodlands across southern Australia, extending from the south west corner of Western Australia, through South Australia and western Victoria, with the eastern limit in south-western NSW. In NSW it was first trapped in Mallee Cliffs National Park in surveys in 1996, though subsequent investigations revealed a specimen in the National Museum of Victoria collected near Gol Gol in 1958. A number of trapping programs conducted since 1996 have captured this species at a number of sites in woodlands east of the Darling River, with many on Mallee Cliffs NP and surrounding properties and more scattered records to the north and east of this reserve. Recently confirmed in Mungo National Park. West of the Darling River it appears to occur at much lower densities, with less than ten records from both Tarawi Nature Reserve and Scotia Sanctuary. Based on trapping results in NSW the numbers in the local population appear to vary significantly from year to year, though the factors causing this are not known (though fluctuations elsewhere are suspected to be linked to rainfall and subsequent food availability).
Habitat and ecology
- In NSW, has been found in mallee shrubland either dominated by spinifex (Triodia spp.) or with an understorey of tea-tree (Leptospermum spp.) and also in Belah (Casuarina pauper) in a mixed woodland with a well developed understorey of saltbush. In other states is also frequently found in woodlands with dense heath understorey (particularly Proteaceae species such as Banksia and Hakea species).
- Shelters during the day in a leaf-lined nest in tree-hollows or in disused birds' nests, leaf clumps on the ground, under stumps or in mallee lignotubers at the base of live trees; shelters also include spinifex hummocks, shrubs, piles of dead branches and bark strips, ground depressions and in the tree canopy. Frequently enters torpor, particularly when temperatures are lower, for periods up to eleven days.
- Forages at night on the ground and in shrubs, feeding on nectar, pollen, insects and possibly small lizards, using its forefeet to grasp food. During trapping, capture rates are highest on windy nights, indicating higher mobility in these conditions, as opposed to still nights where they appear to avoid predators by staying as still as possible.
- Nectar and pollen are important components of this species’ diet and it appears to select habitat based on flower availability rather than structural attributes. It also feeds on invertebrates including insects.
- Breeding can occur at any time of year, and in good seasons up to three successive litters (of up to six young each) can be produced. Normal litter size is between two and four.
Regional distribution and habitat
Click on a region below to view detailed distribution, habitat and vegetation information.
Threats
- Habitat clearance; in particular clearing of Belah woodlands and mallee areas containing spinifex.
- Overgrazing from domestic stock (e.g. Dorper sheep) and goats (both feral and commercial) reducing the complexity of habitat structure and nesting resource availability.
- Predation by foxes and cats is possible, given the feeding habits and activity times of this species.
- Altered fire regimes including too frequent burning of habitat that removes mallee and/or shrub species that provide food and shelter.
- Loss and degradation of Mallee habitat from historical and current land-use practices, which have reduced and isolated populations and in turn increased species sensitivity to other threats (e.g. large-scale wildfire; loss of understorey vegetation; loss of nesting and food resources).
- Loss of nesting resources and lack of planning to increase large hollow bearing trees in the future.
- Lack of knowledge of threats affecting the species viability, including how fire regimes (i.e., frequency and intensity) interact with potential critical threats, such as predation from cats and foxes, climate change, habitat characteristics (e.g. habitat structure; food and nesting resources; spatial and temporal variability), and rainfall.
- Lack of knowledge on how climate change will affect resource availability, fire regimes, predation, and habitat suitability in terms of composition and structure.
- Lack of knowledge of abundance and habitat condition
Recovery strategies
A Saving Our Species conservation project is currently being developed for this species and will be available soon. For information on how you can contribute to this species' recovery, see the Activities to assist this species section below.
Activities to assist this species
- Control vertebrate pest populations (e.g. foxes, cats and rabbits) that either prey on, or compete against this species for resources.
- Instil appropriate fire regime so as to not burn all habitat and food sources within a region at one time, and to promote natural succession.
- Reduce stock intensity of, or exclude grazing in, some areas to allow regeneration of vegetation for habitat.
- Retain stick and leaf litter for food and shelter.
- Retain understorey shrubs, particularly saltbush and bluebush species and spinifex.
- Retain fallen logs as habitat and shelter.
Information sources
- Ayers, D., Nash, S. and Baggett, K. (1996) Threatened Species of Western New South Wales. (NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Sydney)
- Carthew, S.M., Cadzow, B.R. and Foulkes, J.N. (2008) Western Pygmy-possum Cercartetus concinnus (Gould, 1845). Pp. 215-7 in Van Dyck, S. and Strahan, R (eds.) The Mammals of Australia. Third Edition. (Reed New Holland, Chatswood)
- Carthew, S.M., Garrett, L.A. and Ruykys, L. (2013) Roadside vegetation can provide valuable habitat for small, terrestrial fauna in South Australia. Biodiversity and Conservation 22(3): 737-754
- Goldingay, R.L. (2011) Characteristics of tree hollows used by Australian arboreal and scansorial mammals. Australian Journal of Zoology 59(5): 277-294.
- Harris, J.M. (2009) Cercartetus concinnus (Diprotodontia: Burramyidae). Mammalian Species Number 831: 1–11
- Kelly, L.T., Dayman, R., Nimmo, D.G., Clarke, M.F. and Bennett, A.F. (2013) Spatial and temporal drivers of small mammal distributions in a semi-arid environment: The role of rainfall, vegetation and life-history Austral Ecology
- Kelly. L.T., Nimmo, D.G., Spence-Bailey, L.M., Clarke, M.F. and Bennett, A.F. (2010) The short-term responses of small mammals to wildfire in semiarid mallee shrubland, Australia. Wildlife Research 37(4) 293-300
- Kelly. L.T., Nimmo, D.G., Spence-Bailey, L.M., Haslem. A., Watson, S.J., Clarke, M.F. and Bennett, A.F. (2011) Influence of fire history on small mammal distributions: insights from a 100-year post-fire chronosequence. Diversity and Distributions 17(3): 462-473
- Kelly. L.T., Nimmo, D.G., Spence-Bailey, L.M., Taylor, R.S., Watson, S.J., Clarke, M.F. and Bennett, A.F. (2012) Managing fire mosaics for small mammal conservation: a landscape perspective. Journal of Applied Ecology 49(2): 412-421
- Mazzer, T., Ellis, M., Smith, J., Ayers D., Cooper, M., Wallace, G. and Langdon, A. (1998) The fauna of Western NSW: The Southern Mallee Region. (NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Hurstville)
- Menkhorst, P. and Knight, F. (2010) A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Third Edition. (Oxford University Press, South Melbourne)
- Morrant, D. and Petit, S. (2011) Nest use by western pygmy-possums (Cercartetus concinnus) (Marsupialia : Burramyidae) at Innes National Park, South Australia. Australian Mammalogy 33(1): 28-32
- Morrant, D.S. and Petit, S. (2012) Strategies of a small nectarivorous marsupial, the western pygmy-possum, in response to seasonal variation in food availability. Journal of Mammalogy 93(6): 1525-1535
- NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (2001) Western Pygmy-possum (Cercartetus concinnus) Recovery Plan. (NSW NPWS, Hurstville)
- NSW Scientific Committee (1997) Western pygmy possum - Endangered species determination - final.
- Pestell, A.J.L. and Petit, S. (2007) Diet of the western pygmy possum, Cercartetus concinnus Gould (Marsupialia: Burramyidae), at Innes National Park, South Australia, and evaluation of diet sampling methods. Australian Journal of Zoology 55(5): 275–284
- Pestell, A.J.L. and Petit, S. (2007) Methods and ethical considerations of pitfall trapping for the western pygmy possum (Cercartetus concinnus Gould) (Marsupialia: Burramyidae), with observations on capture patterns and nest sites. Wildlife Research 34(4) 296–305
- Pestell, A.J.L., Cooper, S.J.B., Saint, K. and Petit, S. (2008) Genetic structure of the western pygmy possum, Cercartetus concinnus Gould (Marsupialia: Burramyidae) based on mitochondrial DNA. Australian Mammalogy 29(2): 191-200
- Robertson, P. and Sluiter, I. (2004) The Western Pygmy-possum (Cercartetus concinnus) in the Euston area of south-western New South Wales. Unpublished report to NSW Department of Environment and Conservation. (Wildlife Profiles Pty Ltd and Ogyris Pty Ltd)
- Short, M., Smith, F.P. and Van Etten, E. (2009) Oil mallees provide foraging habitat for the Western Pygmy Possum (Cercartetus concinnus) in the wheatbelt of Western Australia. Ecological Management and Restoration 10(3): 233-236
- Turner, J.M., Warnecke, L., Körtner, G. and Geiser, F. (2011) Opportunistic hibernation by a free-ranging marsupial. Journal of Zoology 286(4): 277-284
- Val, J., Oliver, D., Pennay, M., McLaughlin, J., Ewin, P. and Foster, E. (2012) The reptile, bird and small mammal fauna of Dune Mallee Woodlands in south-western New South Wales. Australian Zoologist 36(1): 29-48
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