Petrogale wilkinsi: New Species of Rock-Wallaby Discovered in Australia

Rock-wallabies (genus Petrogale) are small to medium-sized marsupials, weighing from 1 to 12 kg. These animals are only found in mainland Australia and some offshore islands, being absent from Tasmania and New Guinea. They represent one of the largest groups of extant macropods (kangaroos, wallabies and their relatives) distributed across the country, where they inhabit complex rocky environments such as cliffs, gorges, outcrops and escarpments. In a new DNA study, Dr Potter and her colleagues found that two populations of a widespread and common species, the short-eared rock-wallaby (Petrogale brachyotis), – one from the Kimberley and western Northern Territory, the other from the northern and eastern Northern Territory – are genetically distinct species. The scientists said that members of the latter population are not only smaller (2.6 – 3.5 kg), but differ in coloration and markings being predominately dark grey/brown, with distinct head and side stripes, as well as brightly colored -READ MORE-http://www.sci-news.com/biology/science-petrogale-wilkinsi-wilkins-rock-wallaby-new-species-australia-02494.html