Ecology and Status of a New Species of Carnivorous Marsupial, the Black-Tailed Dusky Antechinus (A.Arktos) and its Relationship with a Sympatric Congener, the Brown Antechinus (A. Stuartii)

Since 2012, the number of described species in the carnivorous marsupial genus Antechinus has increased by 50%. The present thesis aimed to collect and analyse fundamental ecological data for one newly described species, the black-tailed dusky antechinus, Antechinus arktos, about which virtually nothing was known. Population ecology and geographic range of the species was used to determine conservation status. The foundational ecological information detailed in this thesis concerning breeding biology, diet, activity patterns and optimal detection methods, will assist in planning future conservation initiatives of this endangered marsupial