Golden Bandicoot - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

Recent genetic evidence suggests that the not only is the Golden Bandicoot (I. auratus) closely related to the Southern Brown Bandicoot (I. obesulus), but that they may in fact be the same species. Mitochondrial DNA evidence suggests that these two species ought to be grouped into one species with 3 distinct subspecies, I. obesulus obesulus, I. o. peninsulae, and I. o. fusciventer. I. auratus would be included in the I. o. fusciventer subspecies, but these changes have yet to be accepted. These two appear to have been allopatric ever since the Pleistocene, long before the arrival of Europeans. The Golden Bandicoot is also superficially similar to the relatively common Northern Brown Bandicoot (I. macrourus), but it can be distinguished by its smaller size, the shape of its hairs, and its more elongated head. In the current classification, three subspecies are recognized: I.a. auratus, I.a. arnhemensis, and I.a. barrowensis.