A new record of the dusky hopping mouse (Notomys fuscus) in New South Wales

Abstract

The dusky hopping mouse, Notomys fuscus, is a desert rodent that occurs in the Simpson Strzelecki Dunefield Bioregion in Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales, where stabilised sand dunes are its preferred habitat. A recent capture from the Broken Hill Complex Bioregion in an atypical habitat (bluebush shrubland) and new locality ~170 km south of the nearest New South Wales record may indicate a significant population eruption and subsequent migration into new areas following the widespread ephemeral and perennial plant production pulse that occurred in 2010.