By Bradley Reuter
Geographic Range
Planigale tenuirostris occupies inland SE Australia. (Painter et al, 1995)
Biogeographic Regions:
australian 
(native ).
Habitat
P. tenuirostris lives in low shrubland and tussock grassland with cracking clay soils. It lives in the deepest realms of the soil cavities and occasionally emerges at the surface . (Moss, 1988) Preferred habit is away from water in more open, less densely vegetated areas. (Read, 1987)
These animals are found in the following types of habitat:
temperate .
Physical Description
(0.14 to 0.32 oz; avg. 0.23 oz)
P. tenuirostris is a rodent-like marsupial. It is small when compared to other Planigale spp. It has a flat skull that can be used for shoveling (Painter et al, 1995). The fur is brownish, but breeding males have fur discoloration (Read, 1987).
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; bilateral symmetry .
Reproduction
July to mid-January
The female P. tenuirostris has 12 teats and a pouch. Estrus in females lasts 1 day and the estrus cycle is 33 days. In males, spermatogenesis occurs in July and aspermatogenesis occurs the following March. The breeding season coincides with increases in food availability during the spring and summer. (Read, 1984)
Key reproductive features:
seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (internal ); viviparous .
Young P. tenuirostris detach from the teats at 36 days. The eyes open at 51 days. and weaning occurs at 95 days after birth. (Read, 1985)
Parental investment:
altricial ; female parental care .
Lifespan/Longevity
It has been estimated that less than 15% of individuals in wild populations survive to an age of 2 years (Read, 1995).
Behavior
P. tenuirostris is nocturnal in both summer and winter (unlike other Planigale spp. that are diurnal in winter). Short-term activity cycles were recorded as 1 hr 25 min in summer and 2 hr 56 min in winter. A significant amount of time is spent both deep in the soil cavities and above ground. (Read, 1989)
Food Habits
P. tenuirostris is a generalist insectivore; their diet reflects the available prey. Arthropods eaten include Coleoptera (beetles) and Araneidae (orbweavers), taxa not bigger than 800 cu mm. They may also eat small lizards. (Read, 1987)
Primary Diet:
carnivore (insectivore , eats non-insect arthropods).
Animal Foods:
reptiles; insects; terrestrial non-insect arthropods.
Predation
Becaue P. tenuirostris spends so much time below the ground (where no larger species coud fit), it is well protected from predators. (Moss, 1988)
Ecosystem Roles
P. tenuirostris lives in sympatry with P. gilesi and the two appear to partitioning food resources. This is partly due to body size differences (P. gilesi is larger than P. tenuirostris). Also, partitioning occurs due to the fact that P. tenuirostris lives in the deepest parts of the cavities, while P. gilesi lives at intermediate crack depths. (Read, 1987)
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: [link]:
Lower Risk - Least Concern.
US Federal List: [link]:
No special status.
CITES: [link]:
No special status.
P. tenuirostris is fairly uncommon. (Read, 1987)
For More Information
Find Planigale tenuirostris information at
Contributors
Bradley Reuter (author), University of Michigan.
Bret Weinstein (editor), University of Michigan.
