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Ningbing Pseudantechinus (Pseudantechinus ningbing)

The Ningbing Pseudantechinus is a small carnivorous dasyurid marsupial recorded in the Kimberley of Western Australia, north-western Northern Territory and nearby Kimberley islands. It occupies rocky sandstone and limestone habitats, often with spinifex and open woodland, so clearing, rock removal, changed fire regimes and disturbance around riparian and rocky sites may affect habitat used by the species.

Conservation status

Northern Territory, Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976: Near threatened.

Breeding season

The following timing is based on observations from Ningbing Station and other Kimberley localities. Breeding timing is the clearest seasonal pattern; movement, dispersal and activity timing are not documented for this species.

Timing may vary between sites and years. Plan pre-clearing checks around rocky habitat before works begin, and treat occupied pouch-bearing females and dependent young as a risk during June to November.

  • Breeding, mating: Mating occurs in June.
  • Breeding, gestation and births: Gestation lasts 45 to 52 days, with births from late July to early August.
  • Young, pouch dependent: Pouch young were recorded in August and later young were independent at about 16 weeks in November.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing or disturbance is most likely to harm the species from mating in June through the period of pouch young and dependent young to November. This timing reflects breeding observations; the species has no documented torpor or migration period in the supplied sources.

Identification

The Ningbing Pseudantechinus is a very small, pale greyish-brown false antechinus with a relatively long, sparsely haired tail. It is most reliably separated from similar Pseudantechinus species using a combination of tail, pouch and male reproductive characters, supported by specialist identification where required.

Adults have pale greyish-brown fur above and below, with chestnut patches behind the ears. The tail is relatively long, has long hairs at its base, and becomes sparsely haired with a slightly scaly appearance towards the remainder and tip.

Head and body: Males 9 to 10 cm; females 8 to 9 cm.

Tail: Males 8 to 9 cm; females 7.5 to 9 cm.

Weight: Males 20 to 25 g; females 15 to 20 g.

Identification: Separating similar species

Compared with the Fat-tailed Pseudantechinus, the Ningbing Pseudantechinus generally has a longer tail relative to head and body length, smaller auditory bullae, no penile appendage in males and four rather than six female nipples. Females also have four nipples rather than six when compared with Rory's Pseudantechinus.

Female nipples: Four.

Male accessory erectile tissue: Present, but it does not form a penile appendage.

  • Treat photographs and live captures as provisional when the animal is not clearly identifiable, because skull characters may be difficult to distinguish from the Fat-tailed Pseudantechinus and, to a lesser degree, the Sandstone Dibbler.
  • Use an experienced mammal specialist or appropriate museum comparison for difficult identifications.

Identification: Field signs

The supplied sources do not provide diagnostic information on tracks, scats, calls, nests, burrows, eyeshine or other field signs. A lack of visible signs should not be treated as evidence that rocky habitat is unused.

  • Record the exact rocky feature, vegetation structure, date, weather and any photograph or specimen reference when an animal or possible sign is found.
  • Do not rely on field signs alone where clearing affects sandstone or limestone outcrops, ridges or adjacent spinifex.

Distribution: National range

The species is distributed across the Kimberley region of Western Australia, with records extending into north-western Northern Territory and offshore islands in the Bonaparte Archipelago. The supplied sources do not provide a confirmed population estimate or a quantified population trend.

In Western Australia, the species is widely distributed through the Kimberley. The published type and specimen localities include Mitchell Plateau, Kalumburu, Prince Regent River, Parry Creek, the Ord River, Elgee Cliffs, Beverley Springs, Napier Downs, Brooking Springs and nearby localities.

The species is also reported from north-western Northern Territory and from Augustus Island and Heywood Island in the Bonaparte Archipelago off the Kimberley coast.

Australian states and territories: Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Bioregional or district context: Kimberley region, including the Gardner, Fitzgerald, Dampier and Hall botanical districts reported in the species description.

Offshore records: Augustus Island and Heywood Island, including South Heywood Island in the specimen records.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

The species has been recorded in and around Mitchell Plateau, Ningbing and Parry Creek, as well as the Prince Regent area and other western Kimberley localities. It is known from protected areas including Drysdale River, Prince Regent and Purnululu national parks in Western Australia, and Keep River and Judbarra/Gregory in the Northern Territory.

Overall distribution: Wide, but the species appears sparse throughout its distribution.

Population size: No estimate is provided.

Population trend: No quantified trend or confirmed decline is provided.

  • Treat connected rocky outcrops and riparian rocky woodland as potential habitat within the known range, even where no recent records are available.
  • Check project databases and state museum records for local records before clearing, because the supplied sources do not define local subpopulation boundaries.

Habitat: Rocky habitat and vegetation

The Ningbing Pseudantechinus is associated with rocky sandstone and limestone features in a range of open tropical and semi-arid vegetation communities. Records are concentrated in sites retaining rock structure, spinifex or mixed ground cover, and in some areas low open riparian woodland.

Recorded habitat includes limestone ridges, sandstone outcrops and rugged sandstone with low open woodland. At Mitchell Plateau and the Prince Regent area, records came from low open eucalypt woodland with Owenia vernicosa, Ficus and Acacia over sparse shrubs and moderately dense spinifex hummock grass.

Other Kimberley records came from riparian situations with low open woodland over low open shrubland and moderately dense spinifex on sandstone and limestone. Near Ningbing, animals were collected on limestone ridges and a sandstone outcrop with low open shrubs, mixed grass, shrubs and emergent trees.

Key substrates: Sandstone and limestone.

Common ground layer: Spinifex hummock grass, sometimes with sorghum grass or mixed grass.

Recorded tree layer: Low open eucalypt woodland, with Owenia vernicosa, Ficus and Acacia reported at some sites.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The species has been recorded across Kimberley botanical districts ranging from dry hot tropical to semi-arid climates. Reported annual precipitation across the described distribution ranges from 250 to 800 mm.

The type locality on Mitchell Plateau was at about 220 m elevation. The supplied sources do not define an upper or lower elevation limit.

Reported rainfall range: 250 to 800 mm.

Type locality elevation: About 220 m on Mitchell Plateau.

Recorded climate range: Dry hot tropical to semi-arid.

Habitat: Project habitat interpretation

For clearing assessments, map rocky outcrops, limestone ridges, sandstone shelves, riparian rocky woodland and adjoining spinifex as habitat units rather than assessing only the tree canopy. The species may be sparse, and the absence of a capture during a short survey does not demonstrate absence.

  • Retain rocky features and their surrounding ground cover where practicable.
  • Inspect the edges of rocky outcrops and riparian woodland before vegetation removal or earthworks.
  • Record whether fire history, rock removal, drainage works or access tracks have separated rocky habitat patches.

Foraging habitat: Known feeding information

The species is described as a small carnivorous marsupial, but the supplied sources contain no species-specific observations of prey, feeding method, foraging distance or home range. Foraging habitat should therefore be assessed as the intact rocky habitat and ground-cover mosaic surrounding records and potential refuges.

No information is available in the supplied species account on diet or feeding behaviour. The species is classified as a carnivorous marsupial, but particular insects, vertebrates or other prey have not been documented in the supplied sources.

Diet: Species-specific diet is not documented; the species is described as carnivorous.

Foraging range: No home range or foraging distance is available.

Activity pattern: No species-specific activity information is available.

Foraging habitat: Habitat to retain during works

Retain the combination of rock, sparse shrubs, spinifex and mixed ground cover around rocky records. In riparian areas, include the low open woodland and shrubland associated with sandstone or limestone, rather than treating the watercourse alone as habitat.

  • Avoid clearing only the ground layer around retained rocks, because the species is recorded in rocky sites with spinifex and other ground cover.
  • Where clearing is unavoidable, inspect and manage the full rocky habitat unit, including adjacent shrubs, grass and woodland.
  • Do not infer a prey list or feeding radius without local survey evidence.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding is seasonal, with mating in June and births from late July to early August. Females carry small litters in a pouch with four nipples, and young become independent by about November in the reported observations.

Wild observations indicate that breeding occurs once a year. Mating occurs in June, followed by a gestation of 45 to 52 days and births from late July to early August.

Five of seven females captured in August were carrying a full complement of pouch young. Young were independent at 16 weeks in November and were capable of breeding at about 11 months. Males and females may survive to breed in a second year.

Breeding frequency: Once a year, based on the available observations.

Mating: June.

Births: Late July to early August.

Gestation: 45 to 52 days.

Litter size: Two to four pouch young in the reported records; four nipples.

Age at independence: About 16 weeks, reported in November.

Age at maturity: About 11 months.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat

The sources do not identify a specific nest, den or breeding chamber. Breeding records come from females captured in rocky Kimberley habitats, including limestone and sandstone sites with spinifex, shrubs, grass and open woodland.

  • Treat rocky outcrops, ridges and associated dense ground cover as potential breeding habitat during June to November.
  • Avoid disturbing occupied pouch-bearing females or dependent young during capture, handling or relocation.
  • Retain nearby sheltering habitat when works affect a confirmed breeding area, because the exact breeding refuge is not documented.

Sheltering habitat: Known shelter context

The species is consistently associated with rocky substrates, but the supplied sources do not describe the exact refuge used by individuals. Rock crevices, ledges and other cavities within sandstone and limestone should therefore be treated as potential shelter during site works.

Records are from limestone ridges, sandstone outcrops and rugged sandstone in open woodland, shrubland and spinifex. The source material does not confirm whether animals shelter in rock crevices, under slabs, in burrows, in hollow logs or in another specific refuge type.

Confirmed shelter type: Not specified in the supplied sources.

Associated cover: Sparse to low open shrubs, spinifex hummock grass, mixed grass and emergent trees.

Refuge dimensions: No sizes are provided.

Sheltering habitat: Controls around rocky habitat

Before blasting, drilling, trenching, rock breaking or removal of sandstone or limestone, inspect accessible crevices, ledges, rock piles and dense ground cover for fauna. Use a fauna spotter catcher where required by the approval or project procedure, and stop work if an animal is found in a feature being disturbed.

  • Mark and retain rocky outcrops, ridges and natural rock piles where practicable.
  • Avoid placing spoil, laydown areas or temporary access tracks over rocky shelter features or their adjacent spinifex cover.
  • Do not assume that a retained isolated rock is adequate if surrounding ground cover and access to nearby rocks are removed.

Threats: Clearing and construction

The species is reported as widespread and apparently sparse, with no documented decline or major confirmed threat in the supplied sources. Altered fire regimes are identified as a potential threat, while clearing can directly remove the rocky and vegetated habitat in which the species has been recorded.

Clearing of sandstone outcrops, limestone ridges, riparian rocky woodland, spinifex and associated shrubs can remove known habitat. Rock extraction, blasting, trenching, road formation and spoil placement may also destroy or isolate potential shelter features.

The supplied sources do not quantify the effects of fragmentation, roads, predators, disease or hydrology change on this species. These pressures should be recorded as project pathways where they alter or remove the rocky habitat and vegetation communities used by the species.

  • Avoid direct disturbance to rocky habitat and retain connected patches of outcrop, ground cover and open woodland where practicable.
  • Use pre-clearing searches and staged clearing around rocky features, with a fauna spotter catcher when required.
  • Keep construction access, spoil and drainage works out of retained riparian rocky habitat.

Threats: Fire and other pressures

Altered fire regimes could affect the species, although the effect may be less pronounced in rockier habitat. The sources report no known decline or major confirmed conservation threat, but also state that the species appears sparse and that population status and threats need further research.

Known potential threat: Altered fire regimes.

Documented population status: Wide distribution, apparently sparse; no quantified decline provided.

Disease and predation: No species-specific information is provided in the supplied sources.

  • Assess the proposed fire regime in relation to spinifex, shrub cover and rocky refuges rather than treating rocky habitat as fire-proof.
  • Avoid removing all ground cover around retained rocks during firebreak construction or site preparation.
  • Record post-fire changes to spinifex, shrubs, woodland structure and rocky refuge connectivity.

Threats: Conservation context

The species is known from several protected areas, including Drysdale River, Prince Regent and Purnululu in Western Australia, and Keep River and Judbarra/Gregory in the Northern Territory. The supplied project information records a Northern Territory listing of Near Threatened and no EPBC Act listing.

Northern Territory listing in supplied information: Near Threatened.

EPBC Act listing in supplied information: Not listed.

IUCN status reported by the sources: Least Concern.

  • Check the current state database and project approval conditions before works, because listing information can change.
  • Treat records outside protected areas as important because the species is reported to be sparse across its range.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat assessment and targeted searches

The supplied sources do not provide a species-specific survey guideline or prescribed survey effort for Ningbing Pseudantechinus. Surveys should therefore target its documented rocky habitat, spinifex hummock grassland, open woodland and riparian sites, and follow the applicable state or territory fauna survey guideline.

Map rocky limestone and sandstone outcrops, ridges, crevices, riparian woodland, spinifex hummock grassland and nearby dense ground cover before selecting survey locations.

Search retained habitat around proposed clearing, access tracks, laydown areas and construction footprints, including rocky edges, dense spinifex and ground cover beneath open woodland.

Record the habitat type, rock features, spinifex cover, riparian condition, fire history where known, and connections to nearby retained habitat.

  • Complete searches in suitable weather and visibility, and document conditions that may reduce detection.
  • Do not treat an absence of observations as evidence that the species is absent, because the species is described as sparse across its distribution and its activity patterns are not documented.

Survey methodology: 2. Trapping, cameras and other detection methods

Use the trapping, camera or other fauna detection methods required by the relevant state or territory survey guideline for small dasyurid mammals in rocky Kimberley habitat.

Where trapping is authorised, design trap locations around rocky outcrops, limestone ridges, sandstone features, riparian woodland and spinifex cover, rather than relying only on open ground.

Use cameras or other non-capture methods where they are suitable for the site and where capture is not necessary for the project decision.

  • Obtain all required wildlife research and animal ethics approvals before using capture methods.
  • Record the method, trap or camera locations, dates, operating hours, weather, effort and any bycatch or animal welfare incidents.
  • The supplied documents give no validated trap type, trap-night total, camera deployment period or transect distance for this species, so do not claim a site has been adequately surveyed unless the applicable jurisdictional guideline has been met.

Survey methodology: 3. Timing and interpretation

Include survey coverage in the period when works are proposed, because breeding occurs once a year, mating occurs in June, and young are born from late July to early August.

Give particular attention to females carrying pouch young between August and November, when young develop, become independent at about 16 weeks and may be weaned by October or November.

Treat records from the wider project area as relevant to impact assessment because the species is distributed through the Kimberley region of Western Australia and has also been recorded in the north-western Northern Territory.

  • Record sex, age class where identifiable, pouch young, exact location and habitat feature for every observation or capture.
  • Use the documented body size and appearance to support identification: adults are about 8 to 10 centimetres head to body, with tails about 7.5 to 9 centimetres, pale greyish-brown fur and chestnut patches behind the ears.
  • Confirm difficult identifications with an experienced mammalogist, because the species can be difficult to distinguish from the Fat-tailed Pseudantechinus and some other Pseudantechinus species.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Apply the current fauna survey guideline and permit conditions for the relevant state or territory, because the supplied documents do not specify a species-specific minimum number of nights, trap nights, hours, transect length or survey area.
  • Survey all suitable rocky and riparian habitat within the disturbance footprint and any connected retained habitat that may be used for relocation or monitoring.
  • Report positive and negative survey results separately, including the methods, effort, detection conditions, habitat searched and limitations.
  • Submit confirmed records, including coordinates and supporting photographs or specimen details where permitted, to the relevant state wildlife database.
  • Provide all records and survey limitations to the project ecologist and environmental officer before finalising the clearing method statement.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Plan works around the species' rocky shelter habitat and annual breeding cycle. The strongest documented habitat associations are limestone and sandstone outcrops, rocky ridges, riparian woodland, spinifex hummock grassland and low open shrubland.

Retain limestone ridges, sandstone outcrops, rock crevices and connected ground cover wherever practicable.

Retain riparian woodland, spinifex hummock grassland, low open shrubland and the trees and shrubs that provide cover around rocky habitat.

Keep retained habitat connected to other suitable rocky or riparian habitat, because the species is distributed across a wide region but appears sparse throughout its range.

  • Avoid placing temporary access, stockpiles, compounds or vehicle turning areas on rocky outcrops, ridges, dense spinifex or riparian habitat.
  • Design the disturbance boundary to retain habitat patches and movement connections between rocky features and nearby ground cover.
  • Treat altered fire regimes as a potential impact and include fire planning in the project environmental controls.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Confirm the species' legal status in each project jurisdiction before work starts; the supplied project information records the species as Near Threatened in the Northern Territory and not listed under the EPBC Act.

Check whether state or territory wildlife permits, survey licences, capture approvals, animal ethics approvals or relocation approvals are required.

Refer the project under the EPBC Act if later information identifies a nationally listed matter or another protected matter that may be affected.

  • Schedule vegetation and ground disturbance outside the main breeding period where practicable, with particular care from June through November because mating, pouch young and juvenile independence occur during this period.
  • Stage clearing so retained habitat remains available while each work area is inspected and cleared.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan covering survey results, exclusion areas, spotter catcher authority, handling, relocation, injury response, stop-work triggers and reporting.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

Complete a pre-clearance inspection of the approved disturbance footprint and adjacent retained habitat shortly before clearing.

Mark rocky outcrops, limestone ridges, sandstone features, dense spinifex, riparian vegetation, logs and other ground features that are to be retained or inspected before removal.

Fence or otherwise exclude retained habitat where construction traffic could damage rocky ground cover or riparian habitat.

  • Brief the clearing crew on the species' small size, documented rocky habitat and the requirement to stop when fauna or an unidentified animal is detected.
  • Confirm that a suitably authorised fauna spotter catcher is present for all relevant clearing and ground disturbance.
  • Check that transport containers, handling equipment, first aid materials and an approved release or veterinary contact are available before work begins.

During habitat disturbance: Daily clearing controls

Use a slow, supervised clearing process. The fauna spotter catcher should control the immediate clearing sequence and have authority to stop machinery when an animal or suitable shelter feature is encountered.

Inspect the active work area at the start of each day and after any overnight pause, including rock piles, spinifex, logs, ground debris and edges of riparian vegetation.

Keep machinery within the approved footprint and prevent personnel, vehicles and materials from entering marked retained habitat.

Clear progressively in small sections so the spotter catcher can inspect exposed ground and shelter features before machinery moves on.

  • Do not clear when the spotter catcher is absent from the active clearing area.
  • Require the operator to stop immediately on the spotter catcher's signal or when fauna, a potential shelter feature or an injured animal is seen.
  • Maintain exclusion fencing and habitat markings throughout the work, and repair damaged controls before work resumes.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat features and machinery

Inspect limestone and sandstone outcrops, crevices, rock piles, dense spinifex, logs and low ground cover before disturbance because these are the documented habitat settings for the species.

Use the spotter catcher to direct the order and speed of clearing around rocky and riparian habitat.

Do not move rocks, logs or other shelter features until they have been inspected and cleared by the authorised fauna team.

  • Use hand tools or low-impact methods around small rocky features where machinery would prevent adequate inspection.
  • Do not fell, push or bury habitat features outside the approved footprint.
  • The supplied documents do not identify a specific dependence on tree hollows, wetlands or burrows, so inspect any such feature encountered rather than assuming it is occupied or unoccupied.

During habitat disturbance: Animal response and stop-work triggers

If a Ningbing Pseudantechinus is found, stop nearby machinery, keep people and vehicles back, and allow the authorised fauna spotter catcher to assess it.

Limit capture and handling to appropriately authorised personnel operating under the relevant permit and fauna management plan.

Release a healthy animal into nearby retained habitat that matches the documented rocky, spinifex, woodland or riparian setting, only where relocation is authorised and the release site has been assessed.

  • Do not handle a female or pouch young unnecessarily, and record the sex, condition, pouch status, location and release details.
  • Take an injured or sick animal to the nominated veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer as soon as practicable, in accordance with permit and welfare requirements.
  • Stop work and reassess the method if an animal cannot be safely captured, if more animals are found than the plan allows for, if pouch young are present, or if clearing exposes previously unmapped suitable habitat.
  • Record every observation, capture, relocation, injury, mortality, escape, stop-work event and restart authorisation.

After habitat disturbance: Checks and monitoring

Post-clearance checks should confirm that no fauna remains in the disturbed area, that retained habitat controls are functioning and that all records required by permits and the project plan have been completed.

Inspect the cleared footprint, retained rocky features, spinifex edges and riparian boundaries after each clearing stage and before the area is handed to construction.

Repeat checks after overnight pauses, major changes in the clearing boundary or disturbance to previously retained habitat.

Monitor release sites and retained habitat where required by the fauna management plan, using the approved survey method and effort for the jurisdiction.

  • Record any live animal, carcass, injury, new shelter feature or damage to retained habitat during post-clearance checks.
  • Investigate any repeated records near the work area before extending the disturbance footprint.
  • Compare monitoring results with the pre-clearance habitat map and survey records.

After habitat disturbance: Controls and reporting

Maintain exclusion fencing, habitat markers and access controls until construction no longer threatens retained habitat.

Report clearing completion, fauna incidents, relocations, injuries, mortalities, permit breaches and stop-work events to the project environmental officer.

Submit confirmed occurrence records to the relevant state wildlife database and retain the coordinates, date, observer, method and habitat description.

  • Review the fauna management plan after each clearing stage and amend controls if animals are detected in unexpected locations.
  • Complete any required regulator notifications, permit returns, environmental incident reports or offset actions.
  • Use offsets or other approved conservation measures where required by an approval or state or territory condition.

Rehabilitation actions: Recreate habitat structure

Rehabilitation should recreate the structure of the documented habitat rather than only replacing canopy vegetation. Prioritise rocky shelter, connected ground cover, spinifex, open woodland and riparian vegetation suited to the local site.

Retain or reinstate suitable sandstone and limestone rocks, crevices, ridges and rock piles where this can be done safely and lawfully.

Reinstate logs, coarse ground debris and dense ground cover where they occurred before clearing and are appropriate to the local habitat.

Restore spinifex hummock grassland, low open shrubland and open woodland in the proportions and species composition recorded during the pre-clearance survey.

  • Use local provenance plants where required by the rehabilitation specification, including local eucalypts, Owenia vernicosa, Ficus species and Acacia species where those taxa formed the documented local community.
  • Re-establish riparian vegetation where riparian habitat was disturbed.
  • Do not install nest boxes as a substitute for rocky habitat unless monitoring shows a documented need and the design has been approved by the project ecologist.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, weeds and predators

Manage fire so that rehabilitation retains connected spinifex, shrub and rocky shelter while avoiding fire regimes that could reduce habitat quality.

Control weeds and prevent construction materials from remaining in restored rocky, riparian or spinifex areas.

Apply the project's approved predator and pest management measures where monitoring identifies a relevant risk.

  • Use the local fire management plan and ecological advice because altered fire regimes are identified as a potential threat, although rocky habitat may be less affected.
  • Inspect rehabilitation after fire, flood, heavy vehicle access and weed control works.
  • Keep restored habitat connected to retained rocky or riparian habitat rather than creating isolated planted strips.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and follow-up

Set success measures for survival of planted vegetation, recovery of spinifex and shrub ground cover, stability of reinstated rocks and logs, weed cover, erosion control and reconnection with retained habitat.

Monitor rehabilitated areas during the establishment period and at the intervals required by the approval, rehabilitation plan or survey guideline.

Use the same habitat descriptors and approved fauna detection methods used during pre-clearance so results can be compared over time.

  • Investigate any Ningbing Pseudantechinus record in an active rehabilitation area and adjust works if the animal is exposed to harm.
  • Repair failed erosion controls, replace lost habitat features and replant failed vegetation where success measures are not met.
  • Report monitoring results, corrective actions and fauna records to the project environmental officer and relevant regulator where required.

Sources