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The phascogales (members of the eponymous genus Phascogale), also known as wambengers or mousesacks,<ref>A Hollow Victory - The Morabool News</ref> are carnivorous Australian marsupials of the family Dasyuridae. There are three species: the brush-tailed phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa), the red-tailed phascogale (P. calura), and the northern brush-tailed phascogale (P. pirata). As with a number of dasyurid species, the males live for only one year, dying after a period of frenzied mating. The name wambenger comes from the Nyungar language.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The term Phascogale was coined in 1824 by Coenraad Jacob Temminck in reference to the brush-tailed phascogale, and means "pouched weasel". All three species are listed as either Near Threatened or Vulnerable by the IUCN.
PhylogenyEdit
The following is a phylogenetic tree based on mitochondrial genome sequences:<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite journal</ref> Template:Clade
SpeciesEdit
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The genus consists of the following three species:
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| File:Phascogale 4.jpg | Brush-tailed phascogale – Phascogale tapoatafa | southeast Australia from South Australia to mid-coastal Queensland, Western Australia |
| File:Phascogale calura close.jpg | Red-tailed phascogale – Phascogale calura | south-western Western Australia |
| Northern brush-tailed phascogale – Phascogale pirata | northern Australia. |
Life cycleEdit
Mating generally happens between May and July. All males die soon after mating. Females give birth to about 6 young ones about 30 days after mating. Phascogales do not have the true pouch that is found in most other marsupials [1][2]. Instead, they form temporary folds of skin - sometimes called a "pseudo-pouch" [3] around the mammary glands during pregnancy. Young stay in this pseudo-pouch area, nursing for about 7 weeks before being moved to a nest where they stay until they are weaned at about 20 weeks of age. Females live for about 3 years, and generally produce one litter.