Neotype designation for the Australian Pig-footed Bandicoot Chaeropus ecaudatus Ogilby, 1838
Abstract
The original description of the now extinct Australian Pig-footed Bandicoot Chaeropus ecaudatus Ogilby, 1838 was based on one specimen from which the tail was missing. Re-examination of the skull thought to be the holotype of C. ecaudatus, revealed that it was associated with a skeleton with caudal vertebrae, thereby negating its type status. The holotype has not been reliably sighted since 1860 and is presumed lost as it has not been identified in world collections. We designate PA422, a skull and partial skeleton in the Australian Museum, Sydney as neotype for Chaeropus ecaudatus. This arose from a recent taxonomic revision of Chaeropus that recognized two subspecies of C. ecaudatus, prompting resolution of the type material of nominate ecaudatus.
