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Banded Hare-wallaby Lagostrophus fasciatus (Pèron and Lesueur, 1807) Other Common Names Indigenous names – Merrnine, Marnine, Munning. Distribution Fossil records show that the distribution of the Banded Hare-wallaby extended across the southern Nullarbor Plain into the lower Murray River region of South Australia within the past 3000-5000 years. Although it is believed to have been recorded on Dirk Hartog Island, Shark Bay, there are doubts about the early records. The last mainland record is from the Pingelly area of Western Australia in 1906. Photo: Gary Deering . Existing populations of Banded Hare-wallaby occur on B ernier and Dorre Islands in Shark Bay. It has been successfully translocated to Faure Island (also in Shark Bay). Unsuccessful translocations were undertaken in the 1970s to Dirk Hartog Island and m ore recently (2001) to Francois Peron National Park. Size Head and body length 400-450 (430) mm For further information regarding the distribution of this species please refer to www.naturemap.dpaw.wa.gov.au Tail length 230-360 (320) mm Habitat Weight On the islands, they shelter among dense shrubs. Several individuals are often found within one patch of scrubland. 1.0-2.3 (1.6) kg Occasional males up to 2.5 kg, occasional females up to 3.0 kg Behaviour The Banded Hare-wallaby burrows run beneath dense scrub where it shelters during the day. Although adults of each sex appear to live within well-defined home ranges or territories, relations between adult females and between juveniles and adults do not appear to be aggressive. Interactions between males, on t he other hand, are characterised by a hi gh level of aggression the intensity of fighting apparently being related to competition for food. Feeding takes place at night in open areas with scattered shelter. Subspecies Three subspecies are recognised: • Lagostrophus fasciatus fasciatus (extant on B ernier and D orre Islands, extinct on mainland) • Lagostrophus fasciatus albipilis (extinct, south-western WA) • Lagostrophus fasciatus baudinettei (extinct, South Australia) Diet Description Grasses normally make up l ess than half the dietary intake, the remainder being made up by malvaceous and leguminous shrubs. Free water is seldom available but heavy dews are frequent on the Dark grizzled grey above with transverse dark bands across lower back and rump, greyish-white below. page 1 Fauna profiles Banded Hare-wallaby islands and m oisture from this source, along with water in the food appears to meet the animals’ needs. Management The banded har e-wallaby is a t axa included in the Shark Bay Mammals Recovery Plan that has been drafted. Management actions proposed, currently underway or have been under taken include: Breeding A peak of births occurs in the latter half of summer, but females that are unsuccessful in January or February may give birth later in the first half of the year. Some females also mate shortly after giving birth and the embryo becomes dormant (embryonic diapause), but will continue to develop if the pouch-young dies, or after the young vacates the pouch. This variability leads to births of some young from December to September, but females are usually non-reproductive in October and N ovember. Severe summer drought can disrupt this reproductive pattern with breeding resumed after the drought has broken. Young spend about six months in the pouch and are weaned at about nine months. Both males and f emales are capable of breeding in the first year of life, but usually do not do so until the second year. Although females are capable of producing two young per year, they normally manage to rear only one. • Protect wild populations and their habitat. • Maintain captive populations • Undertake reintroduction to suitable mainland and islands sites. • Use population viability analysis (PVA) to compare the viability of wild as well as current and potential reintroduced populations. Other interesting facts Threatening processes Decline of the Banded Hare-wallaby on t he mainland has largely been attributed to the combined effects of predation by cats and habitat destruction due to grazing by sheep. Lagostrophus fasciatus fasciatus Helgen, K.M. and Flannery, T.F. (2003). Taxonomy and historical distribution of the wallaby genus Lagostrophus. Australian Journal of Zoology 51: 199-212. Maxwell S., Burbidge A.A, Morris K. (1996). The 1996 Action Plan for Australian Marsupials and Monotremes. Wildlife Australia, Canberra. Prince, R.I.T. and Richards, J.D. (2008). Banded Hare-wallaby. In Van Dyck, S. and R. Strahan (Eds.) The Mammals of Australia. Reed New Holland. Sydney. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 Vulnerable Lagostrophus fasciatus albipilis Richards, J.D., Short, J., Prince, R.I.T., Friend, J.A. and Courtenay, J.M. (2003). The biology of the banded (Lagostrophus fasciatus) and rufous (Lagorchestes hirsutus) hare-wallabies (Diprotodontia: Macropodidae) on Dorre and Bernier Islands, Western Australia. Wildlife Research 28: 311-322. Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 Schedule 1 – Fauna presumed to be extinct Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 Extinct • The Banded Hare-wallaby is the sole survivor of what was once a large group of macropods and is placed in a s eparate subfamily. Lagostrophus fasciatus Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 Schedule 1 – Fauna that is rare or is likely to become extinct (Threatened ranked as Vulnerable) • • Hardman, B and Moro, S. (2006). Importance of diurnal refugia to a hare-wallaby reintroduction in Western Australia. Wildlife Research 33: 355-359. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Endangered (Version 3.1) • The Banded Hare-wallaby was one of the earliest macropods to be described. Specimens were first collected by Lesueur at Shark Bay in 1801. Selected references Conservation status • • Lagostrophus fasciatus. baudinettei Not listed under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 or the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 Last updated 8 February 2012, for further enquiries please contact [email protected] page 2