Short-nosed bandicoot

Short-nosed bandicoots
Southern brown bandicoot Isoodon obesulus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Peramelemorphia
Family: Peramelidae
Subfamily: Peramelinae
Genus: Isoodon
(Desmarest, 1817)
Type species
Didelphis obesula
Shaw, 1797
Species & subspecies

The short-nosed bandicoots (genus Isoodon) are members of the order Peramelemorphia. These marsupials can be found across Australia, although their distribution can be patchy.[citation needed]

Origin

Genetic evidence suggests that short-nosed bandicoots diverged from the related long-nosed species around eight million years ago, during the Miocene epoch, and underwent a rapid diversification around three million years ago, during the late Pliocene.

Species and subspecies

While the IUCN lists only three species in the genus (as of 2026), Australian sources (until 2026) consider there to be five species of the genus, with two subspecies of I. obesulus being elevated to full species status. In 2026 a sixth subspecies, now extinct, was identified.

2026 re-evaluation

A major study by Travouillon et al., "Genetic and morphological reassessment of the genus Isoodon (Marsupialia: Peramelemorphia) and description of new species and subspecies" was published in the Australian Journal of Taxonomy in October 2026. It was the culmination of 10 years of research on bandicoot bones held in museums using DNA analysis and detailed skull measurements, and made several significant new findings about bandicoots. The study aimed to reassess species and subspecies boundaries within the genus Isoodon.

In all, it described two new subspecies of golden bandicoot, four of the quenda, and one of the northern brown bandicoot. Among other findings, the study determined that the bandicoots presently living in the Mount Lofty Ranges (Adelaide Hills), Fleurieu Peninsula, and on Kangaroo Island in South Australia are related to quendas, but are now considered their own subspecies, named Isoodon fusciventer terrenus. It has previously been thought that all bandicoots in South Australia were southern browns. Previous classifications suggested that only one species, the southern brown bandicoot, occurred in SA. The study also identified an extinct species, Isoodon microtis, or little brown bandicoot, had been present in South Australia.

References

  1. ↑ Groves, C.P. (2005). "Order Peramelemorphia". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ↑ Westerman, M.; Krajewski, C. (2000). "Molecular relationships of the Australian bandicoot genera Isoodon and Perameles (Marsupialia: Peramelina)". Australian Mammalogy. 22 (1): 1–8. doi:10.1071/AM00001.
  3. ↑ "Isoodon". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Registration required.
  4. ↑ Schoch, CL; et al. (2020). "Isoodon". NCBI Taxonomy: A Comprehensive Update on Curation, Resources and Tools. 2020. Oxford. doi:10.1093/database/baaa062. PMC 7408187. PMID 32761142.
  5. ↑ Travouillon, Kenny J.; Phillips, Matthew J. (7 February 2018). "Total evidence analysis of the phylogenetic relationships of bandicoots and bilbies (Marsupialia: Peramelemorphia): reassessment of two species and description of a new species". Zootaxa. 4378 (2): 224–256. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4378.2.3. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 29690027.
  6. 1 2 3 Travouillon, K.J.; Cooper, S.J.B.; Bertozzi, T.; et al. (14 October 2026). "Genetic and morphological reassessment of the genus Isoodon (Marsupialia: Peramelemorphia) and description of new species and subspecies". Australian Journal of Taxonomy. 136: 1–53. Retrieved 7 November 2026. PDF
  7. ↑ "Species Isoodon fusciventer (J.E. Gray, 1841)". Australian Faunal Directory. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  8. ↑ "Species Isoodon peninsulae Thomas, 1922". Australian Faunal Directory. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  9. 1 2 Stanley, Clem (5 November 2026). "New subspecies discovery for South Australian bandicoots". ABC News. Retrieved 7 November 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 Travouillon, Kenny; Phillips, Matthew; Cooper, Steve; Bertozzi, Terry (1 November 2026), Two new bandicoot species discovered after trawling through museum drawers, The Conversation, doi:10.64628/aa.a5pexgcy6
  11. ↑ "Decade-Long Research Reveals Two New Bandicoot Species and Rewrites Australia's Brown Bandicoot Family Tree". Western Australian Museum. 7 November 2026. Retrieved 7 November 2026.