Zaglossus bartoni subsp. smeenki Flannery &amp; Groves, 1998, n. ssp.
Creators: name: T. F. Flannery
name: C. P. Groves
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 1998
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Monotremata
Tachyglossidae
Zaglossus
Zaglossus bartoni
Zaglossus bartoni smeenki

description: <b>(Appendix 1,</b> Figs 6 <b>-</b> 7 <b>)</b> <b>Holotype:</b> AM M96822, adult <b>male skin and</b> skeleton, collected <b>near Marua</b> Point, 20 km SW of Collingwood <b>Bay, PNG, by Mr</b> G. Leach, 12 July 1972. <b>Etymology:</b> For Dr <b>Chris</b> Smeenk, curator of <b>mammals</b> at the Rijksmuseum of Natural History, Leiden, whose legendary' courtesy <b>and</b> hospitality <b>to</b> visiting researchers has been of enormous assistance to both of us <b>at different</b> times. <b>Diagnosis: The</b> smallest subspecies, <b>invariably</b> possessing five claws on each foot. It is significantly smaller <b>(</b> at 0.05 <b>) than all</b> other <i>Z</i>. <i>bartoni in</i> <b>all dimensions,</b> except for RBR and IOW <i>in Z. <i>b. clunius.</i> </i> <b>Distribution:</b> Restricted to the mountains of the Nanneau Range, as far west as the Collingwood Bay District in eastern Papua New Guinea <b>(</b> Fig. <b>1).</b> It has been recorded from 1,540 m elevation on Mt Dayman <b>(</b> AMNH 157072 <b>),</b> about 200 m <b>(</b> UP 729 <b>)</b> and 1670 metres on Mt Suckling <b>(</b> RMNH 23319 <b>).</b> A note on this latter specimen states “ Common <b>in</b> open <b>forests (.</b> <i>Araucaria</i> <b>),</b> grasslands <b>(</b> <i>Deschampsia</i> <b>)</b> and riverbanks up to the summits <b>(</b> 3676 m <b>).</b> J.F. Veldkamp <b>”.</b> Specimens seen; 6 adult skulls, two skins. <b>Description:</b> The <b>fur</b> of the holotype is dark <b>brown in</b> colour, lightening towards the feet and base of the beak to buff. <b>The</b> <i>spines</i> are white, <b>and</b> fur obscures them over most of the back. There are no spines <b>at</b> all on the venter, <b>The</b> tail forms a small, naked nub, the <b>skin</b> of which is, like that of the hands, feet <b>and</b> beak, brown. The skull <i>is</i> small and the rostrum delicate <b>(</b> Fig. 6 and 7 <b>).</b> <b>Discussion:</b> Very little is known of this, the smallest subspecies of Z. <i>bartoni.</i> All sexed specimens known are males. It must abut or intergrade with <i>Z</i>. <i>h. bartoni</i> in the Owen Stanley Ranges between the Efogi area and Collingwood Bay. The ranges are lower in this area than to the east and west. If it proves to overlap rather than intergrade with <i>Z</i>. <i>b. bartoni</i>, it will have to be awarded full specific status. Few other mammals have a distribution similar to <i>Z</i>. <i>b. smeenki. Murexia longicandata, Microperoryctes papuensis</i> and <i>Peroryctes broadbenti</i> are all restricted to southeastern Papua, but all extend slightly further west <b>(</b> at least to the Port Moresby area <b>).</b>
description: Published as part of <i>T. F. Flannery &amp; C. P. Groves, 1998, A revision of the genus Zaglossus (Monotremata, Tachyglossidae), with description of new species and subspecies, pp. 367-396 in Mammalia 62 (3)</i> on pages 383-384, DOI: 10.1515/mamm.1998.62.3.367, http://zenodo.org/record/270023