Researchers describe the kultarr as “Australia’s cutest mammal”: It’s eyes are quite large for its mouse-like head, it’s ears are perky and it has long, thin legs that allow it to run so fast that it looks like it’s hopping. A recent study has now confirmed that the insect-eating marsupial is not one, but three distinct species.
Previously, scientists considered Antechinomys laniger — referring only to the kultarr — as the sole species under the genus Antechinomys.
But in 2023, a genetic study reclassified another marsupial, the long-tailed dunnart (previously Sminthopsis longicaudata), as a second species under Antechinomys (A. longicaudatus). The study also showed genetic differences between some kultarr specimens.
Building on that study, researchers examined kultarr specimens collected in museums in Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth over the past century. Genetic analysis of the tissue samples along with the specimens’ body measurements confirmed that the kultarr, A. laniger, was actually three separate species.
“The three species of kultarr live in different regions of Australia and have different habitat preferences,” Cameron Dodd, study’s lead author from the University of Western Australia, told Mongabay by email. “Identifying them as different species will allow for more targeted conservation approaches that best suit the unique biology of each species, rather than a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach which might not be optimal for any of the species.”
The eastern kultarr (A. laniger) is the smallest of the three species, with an average body length around 7.5 centimeters (3 inches). It is darker, has smaller ears and a less elongated snout as well. The eastern kultarr is found in parts of central New South Wales and southern Queensland.
The gibber kultarr (A. spenceri) is the largest and stockiest among the three, with an average body length of 9 cm (3.5 in). It has a bigger head and thicker, longer legs than the others. It inhabits the stony deserts of the “gibber plains” in southwest Queensland and northeast South Australia.
The long-eared kultarr (A. auritus) is sized between the other two but has the largest ear-to-head ratio of all kultarrs. It lives in the sandy deserts of central and western Australia.
The conservation status of the kultarr was last assessed in 2014, and it remains listed as least concern, although it is considered endangered in New South Wales. The authors write that with the taxonomic revision, all three species need new assessments.
Dodd said kultarrs, dunnarts and other marsupials are crucial for controlling insects after rains, “preventing both native vegetation and crops from being decimated by plague-like insect numbers.” The marsupials are also important food for birds and snakes.
He added the loss of these insectivores would severely degrade ecosystems already damaged by the decline of Australia’s fauna due to habitat clearing, hunting and the introduction of invasive cats and foxes that accompanied European settlement.
Banner image: (L-R) the eastern kultarr (image by Pat Woolley), the gibber kultarr and the long-eared kultarr (images by Ken Johnson).
