DISTRIBUTION AND IDENTITY OF SPECIES IN THE ANTECHINUS-STUARTII ANTECHINUS-FLAVIPES GROUP (MARSUPIALIA, DASYURIDAE) IN SOUTH-EASTERN AUSTRALIA

This study describes genetical differences between three morphological ly similar species of Antechinus in south-eastern Australia, and uses the climatic model BIOCLIM to clarify their expected geographical dist ributions. Allozyme electrophoresis revealed Nei's distances of >0.2 b etween A. flavipes and A. stuartii and A. flavipes and A. agilis, the latter a newly recognised species in south-eastern Australia. Fixed al lele differences were determined in five proteins between A. stuartii and A. flavipes from an area of sympatry in northern New South Wales, confirming their genetic distinctness. A smaller distance (0.08) separ ated A. stuartii from A. agilis, but fixed allele differences in album in and mannose phosphate isomerase distinguished these species clearly . Locality records for the three species were compiled from the electr ophoretic results, museum specimen records and published data, and use d to generate expected distributions for each species. A. flavipes is predicted to occur primarily in warm, inland areas of southeastern Aus tralia with a mean annual rainfall of 785 mm, but to occur along the c oast in South Australia and southern Queensland. In contrast, the dist ributions of A. stuartii and A. agilis are predicted to be broadly coa stal, with the former occurring in northern New South Wales and southe rn Queensland in areas with high mean annual rainfall (1430 mm) and te mperature (16.0 degrees C), the latter in southern New South Wales and Victoria in cooler areas (11.8 degrees C annual mean) with intermedia te rainfall (1071 mm). Sympatry appears to be limited between A. flavi pes and its two congeners: A. stuartii and A. agilis are predicted to be parapatric with only two small areas of overlap being evident.