Nabarlek

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Nabarlek^[1]

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Subclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Diprotodontia
Family:	Macropodidae
Genus:	Petrogale
Species:	P. concinna

Binomial name

Petrogale concinna
Gould, 1842

The Nabarlek (Petrogale concinna), also known as the Pygmy Rock-wallaby or the Little Rock-wallaby, is a very small species of macropod found in northern Australia. It was formerly considered distinct enough to be assigned its own genus, Peradorcas, but it is now considered to belong, like the rest of the rock-wallabies, in the genus Petrogale.^[1]

The Nabarlek was, until the discovery of the Monjon (Petrogale burbidgei) in 1978, the smallest rock-wallaby. It is generally grey with rufous tinges and patches of black around its body, and is a nocturnal, semi-gregarious grazer of grasses and other vegetation.^[3] It is classified as near threatened by the IUCN.

The Nabarlek is found in three distinct population areas: in Arnhem Land (including Groote Eylandt); between the Mary and Victoria Rivers in the Top End; and the coastal Kimberley region of Western Australia, including some islands in the Bonaparte Archipelago. It is also found in Kakadu National Park.^[3]

The Nabarlek is most closely related to the Monjon and to the Short-eared Rock-wallaby (Petrogale brachyotis).^[1]

Three subspecies of the Nabarlek have been recognised:

P. c. concinna - the Top End population;
P. c. canescens - the Arnhem Land population;
P. c. monastria - the Kimberley population.

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ^c Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 67. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
^ Australasian Marsupial & Monotreme Specialist Group (1996). Petrogale concinna. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 1 January 2007.
^ ^a ^b Menkhorst, Peter (2001). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press, 126.