Data from: New populations of the black-flanked rock-wallaby (Petrogale lateralis) from the Little Sandy Desert and Murchison, Western Australia

During two independent fauna surveys, rock-wallaby (Petrogale) scats were recorded from caves located outside the current known Petrogale distribution. Scats collected from Desert Queen Baths (Little Sandy Desert, Western Australia, 2012), and the Barr Smith Range (Murchison, Western Australia, 2015) were genetically analysed and a follow-up motion camera survey confirmed an extant rock-wallaby population at Desert Queen Baths. The combination of sampling techniques overcame the detection difficulties associated with rare and cryptic taxa, and together were important in establishing the presence of Petrogale lateralis from regions where the species has been poorly documented. At both locations, P. lateralis scats were recorded from deep caves situated close to permanent water, reflecting the species’ physiological constraints in the arid zone. These records represent significant range extensions of a highly threatened macropod.

在两次独立的野生动物调查中，研究人员在超出当前已知岩袋鼠（Petrogale）分布范围的洞穴中记录到了岩袋鼠粪便。2012年于澳大利亚西部小沙沙漠的沙漠皇后浴场（Desert Queen Baths），以及2015年于澳大利亚西部默奇森地区的巴尔史密斯岭（Barr Smith Range）采集的粪便样本均开展了基因分析；后续的红外相机追踪调查证实了沙漠皇后浴场存在现存的岩袋鼠种群。多种采样技术的结合克服了稀有隐存类群的监测难题，同时为确认记录匮乏区域的黑尾岩袋鼠（Petrogale lateralis）存在性提供了关键依据。两处调查点的黑尾岩袋鼠粪便均采集自靠近永久水源的深洞穴中，这反映了该物种在干旱环境下的生理制约因素。此次记录使得这一高度受胁的袋鼠科动物的分布范围得到了显著拓展。