kids encyclopedia robot

List of Australia-New Guinea species extinct in the Holocene facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Australia-New Guinea (orthographic projection)
The Australian continent, also called Australia-New Guinea or Sahul
Thylacinus
The thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) is a large, carnivorous marsupial last seen in 1936.

Contents

This is a list of Australia-New Guinea species extinct in the Holocene that covers extinctions from the Holocene epoch, a geologic epoch that began about 11,650 years before present (about 9700 BCE) and continues to the present day.

The Australian continent is also called Australia-New Guinea or Sahul to avoid confusion with the country of Australia. The continent includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, the island of New Guinea, the Aru Islands, and other nearby islands. Australia-New Guinea is divided between three countries: Australia (mainland Australia and Tasmania), Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea), and Indonesia (Western New Guinea and the Aru Islands). Extinct animals from the rest of Indonesia are covered in List of Asian animals extinct in the Holocene. Species from the outlying islands of the country of Australia and the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea are included below. The Solomon Islands archipelago, split between Papua New Guinea (Autonomous Region of Bougainville) and the country of Solomon Islands, is covered in List of Oceanian species extinct in the Holocene.

The fauna of Australia-New Guinea is very unique. Marsupials and monotremes also existed on other continents, but only in Australia-New Guinea did they out-compete the placental mammals and come to dominate. Aside from marine mammals, only two orders of placental mammals are native to Australia-New Guinea: rodents and bats. Dingoes and New Guinea singing dogs are considered feral dogs (Canis familiaris) introduced by humans. The Christmas Island shrew is related to Asian shrews; no members of the order Eulipotyphla are native to Australia-New Guinea proper.

New Zealand species extinct in the Holocene are listed separately. The fauna of New Zealand is distinct from Australia-New Guinea. Birds, including numerous flightless birds, are the most important part of New Zealand's vertebrate fauna. Bats are New Zealand's only native land mammals.

Numerous species have disappeared from Australia-New Guinea as part of the ongoing Holocene extinction, driven by human activity. Most Australian megafauna disappeared in the Late Pleistocene, considerably earlier than in other continental landmasses. As a result, Australian Holocene extinctions generally are of modest size. Most extinctions occurred after the European settlement of Australia, which began with the First Fleet in 1788 CE. However, the thylacine, Tasmanian devil, and Tasmanian nativehen were extirpated from mainland Australia thousands of years before European settlement, although they survived in Tasmania. The Norfolk swamphen and several New Guinea mammals also disappeared before European colonisation.

Mammals (class Mammalia)

Monotremes (order Monotremata)

Echidnas (family Tachyglossidae)

Locally extinct (disputed)
Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Western long-beaked echidna Zaglossus bruijnii Western New Guinea, Indonesia and possibly Kimberley, Western Australia This critically endangered species occurs in Western New Guinea, Indonesia. The existence of Zaglossus in mainland Australia during the Late Pleistocene is proven by fossils and cave paintings. A more recent presence in mainland Australia is disputed.

A 2012 study reported the existence of a previously overlooked specimen in the Natural History Museum, London. The label notes it was collected by John T. Tunney from Mount Anderson in Kimberley, Western Australia in 1901. The study argues that the western long-beaked echidna survived as a rare species in Kimberley into the 20th century based on the circumstantial improbability of a collection label misassignment, the uniqueness of ectoparasites found on the specimen, the similarity of some Kimberley forests to known habitat in New Guinea, and the testimony of an Aboriginal elder. A 2017 study disputes this conclusion and argues that the specimen most likely came from New Guinea and was mislabeled. Additional research such as ancient DNA, stable isotopes, and trace elements may shed more light on this specimen, and targeted studies of relevant Kimberley Pleistocene and Holocene subfossil assemblages would be worthwhile.
Long-beakedEchidna.jpg

Carnivorous marsupials (order Dasyuromorphia)

Dog-like marsupials (family Thylacinidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Thylacine Thylacinus cynocephalus Mainland Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea In Tasmania, the last confirmed wild individual was killed in 1931, and the last in captivity died at Hobart Zoo in 1936. Contrary to the consensus, a 2023 statistical analysis of alleged sightings suggested that thylacines survived in remote Tasmanian wilderness for decades past the 1930s. The peak likelihood for thylacine extinction was from the late 1980s through the early 2000s.

There is extensive evidence for thylacines in mainland Australia from paleontology and rock art. The scientific consensus is that thylacines were extirpated from mainland Australia around 1277-1229 BCE, although the Thylacine Museum records several alleged mainland sightings from the 19th and 20th centuries. Thylacines were also present in New Guinea until 3050 BCE.

The extinction of the thylacine in mainland Australia was likely caused by competition with human hunters and dingos, while in Tasmania it was deliberately exterminated by sheep farmers.
Thylacinus.jpg

Marsupial shrews (family Dasyuridae)

Locally extinct
Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Tasmanian devil Sarcophilus harrisii Mainland Australia and Tasmania Most recent subfossil remains in mainland Australia were dated to 1277-1229 BCE. The introduction of the dingo, changes and intensification of human hunting, and warming climate have been speculated as possible reasons. The species survives in Tasmania and was reintroduced to New South Wales in 2020. Sarcophilus harrisii taranna.jpg

Bandicoots and bilbies (order Peramelemorphia)

Bandicoots (family Peramelidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Desert bandicoot Perameles eremiana Central Australia Last known individual was collected in 1943, with unconfirmed sightings continuing until the 1960s. The extinction was caused by predation by introduced feral cats, red foxes, competition with European rabbits, and changes to the fire regime after the British colonization of Australia.
Perameles eremiana.jpg
New South Wales barred bandicoot Perameles fasciata New South Wales Reclassified as a distinct species in a 2018 study. The last individual was collected in 1846.
Southwestern barred bandicoot Perameles myosuros Western Australia Reclassified as a distinct species in a 2018 study. The last individual was collected in 1906.
Perameles bougainville - Gould.jpg
Southern barred bandicoot Perameles notina South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales Reclassified as a distinct species in a 2018 study. The last individual was collected in 1857.
Nullarbor barred bandicoot Perameles papillon Nullarbor Plain, southern Australia Described in a 2018 study. The last individual was collected in 1928.
Peroryctes aruensis New Guinea Most recent remains dated to 28000-9000 years ago.

Bilbies (family Thylacomyidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Lesser bilby Macrotis leucura Deserts of Australia Also known as yallara. The last individual was collected in 1931, though a skull of unknown age was retrieved from a wedge-tailed eagle's nest in 1967. The main causes of extinction are believed to be predation by cats and foxes, possibly exacerbated by changes to the fire regime.
Lesserbilby.jpg

Pig-footed bandicoots (family Chaeropodidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Southern pig-footed bandicoot Chaeropus ecaudatus Southern and western Australia The last reliably dated individual was collected in 1901, though Pintupi people recalled it surviving in the Gibson desert until the 1950s. The cause of extinction was predation by feral cats and foxes. The two species were considered one until 2019.
PigFootedBandicoot.jpg
Northern pig-footed bandicoot Chaeropus yirratji Central Australia
Mus Nat Hist Nat 25022013 Chaeropus ecaudatus.jpg

Order Diprotodontia

Brushtail possums and cuscuses (family Phalangeridae)

Possibly extinct
Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Telefomin cuscus Phalanger matanim Telefomin and Tifalmin, Papua New Guinea Last recorded in 1997. The only area it was found in with certainty, was destroyed by fire during the 1998 El Niño event.

Trioks, striped possum, Leadbeater's possum, and wrist-winged gliders (family Petauridae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Kambuaya's triok Dactylopsila kambuayai New Guinea Most recent remains dated to 5941-5596 BCE.

Ring-tailed possums and allies (family Pseudocheiridae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments
New Guinea greater glider Petauroides ayamaruensis New Guinea Most recent remains dated to 5941-5596 BCE.

Macropods (family Macropodidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Mainland banded hare-wallaby Lagostrophus fasciatus albipilis Western Australia Not considered to be a valid subspecies by some sources. Lagorchestes fasciatus Gould.jpg
Lake Mackay hare-wallaby Lagorchestes asomatus Between Mount Farewell and Lake Mackay, Northern Territory; possibly Great Sandy, Gibson, and Tanami Deserts Also known as kuluwarri. The only known specimen was collected in 1932. Western Aboriginal Australians stated that it disappeared between 1940 and 1960. It was possibly driven to extinction by predation by feral cats and foxes, and changes to the fire regime.
South-western rufous hare-wallaby Lagorchestes hirsutus hirsutus South-west of Western Australia The south-western subspecies (L. h. hirsutus) is extinct. Two other subspecies survive: L. h. bernieri and L. h. 'central Australian subspecies'. Rufous hare wallaby.jpg
Eastern hare-wallaby Lagorchestes leporides Interior southeastern Australia Last specimen was collected in 1889. The species was possibly driven to extinction by habitat loss caused by livestock grazing and increased summer wildfires after the end of native controlled fires in the winter.
Lagorchestes leporides Gould.jpg
Toolache wallaby Notamacropus greyi Southeastern Australia The last confirmed records in the wild happened in 1924. Unconfirmed sightings happened in 1943 and 1950s-1970s, but extensive searching in the 1970s failed to locate any. The last captive animal died in 1939.
Macropus greyi - Gould.jpg
Crescent nailtail wallaby Onychogalea lunata Western and central Australia Last recorded individual was killed in 1956. Extinction caused by predation by feral cats and foxes, and human-induced habitat degradation.
Onychogalea lunata.jpg
Christensen's pademelon Thylogale christenseni New Guinea Most recent remains dated to 1738-1385 BCE.

Bettongs, potoroos, and rat-kangaroos (family Potoroidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Desert bettong Bettongia anhydra Tanami Desert and Nullarbor Plain Only known from one specimen collected in the Tanami in 1933 and subfossil material from the Nullarbor. The causes of extinction are presumed to be predation by feral cats and foxes, and changes to the fire regime.
South-eastern woylie Bettongia penicillata penicillata South-eastern Australia The woylie experienced a large reduction in population size and range due to extensive land clearing and the introduction of feral cats and red foxes. The south-eastern subspecies (B. p. penicillata) is considered extinct. The surviving south-western subspecies (B. p. ogilbyi) is critically endangered. Bettongia penicillata Gould Mamm Aust vol 2 plate 61.jpg
Nullarbor dwarf bettong Bettongia pusilla Nullarbor Plain, Hampton and Mallee bioregions Known only from subfossil remains but considered to have survived until European settlement.
Desert rat-kangaroo Caloprymnus campestris Channel Country and possibly southeastern Queensland Last confirmed record in 1935 near Ooroowilanie, east of Lake Eyre, though several unconfirmed sightings were recorded in South Australia and Queensland between 1957 and 2011. It is considered to have become extinct due to predation by feral cats and foxes, though habitat degradation by herbivores could have contributed.
Caloprymnus.jpg
Broad-faced potoroo Potorous platyops From the Swan Coastal Plain to the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas, and Kangaroo Island Last recorded in 1875. Presumed to have become extinct due to predation by feral cats, exotic diseases, inappropriate fire regimes, habitat loss and degradation due to grazing livestock.
BroadFacedPotoroo.jpg

Rodents (order Rodentia)

Old World rats and mice (family Muridae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
White-footed rabbit rat Conilurus albipes South-eastern South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and eastern Queensland Last recorded 1860-1862 in Victoria, where it was at one time common and even regarded as a pest, though a possible observational record was made near Deniliquin, New South Wales, in the early 1940s. It probably disappeared due to predation by cats, though human-induced habitat degradation could have contributed. Conilurus albipes - Gould.jpg
Capricorn rabbit rat Conilurus capricornensis Queensland Known only from subfossil remains but considered to have survived until European settlement. Since there has not been a targeted survey for the Capricorn rabbit rat, there is a thin hope of its survival, although this is unlikely.
Lesser stick-nest rat Leporillus apicalis Arid and semiarid central Australia The last two specimens were collected south of the Musgrave Ranges in 1933, and the last unconfirmed sighting happened in 1970 in a cave along Canning Stock Route. Considered to have become extinct due to predation by feral cats, possibly helped by habitat degradation caused by introduced grazers. Leporillus apicalis - Gould.jpg
Bramble Cay melomys Melomys rubicola Bramble Cay, Queensland Last recorded in 2009. Disappeared due to increasing storms that depleted the island of vegetation. Its extinction was described as the first extinction of a mammal species due to anthropogenic climate change.
Bramble-cay-melomys.jpg
Short-tailed hopping mouse Notomys amplus From north-eastern South Australia and south-eastern Northern Territory to North West Cape The only known specimens came from Charlotte Waters, Northern Territory in 1896. Subfossils indicate that it had a wide distribution in the central and western arid zone. Reasons for extinction are unknown, but could have been predation by feral cats and foxes.
Long-tailed hopping-mouse Notomys longicaudatus From north-western New South Wales to North West Cape Last collected in Barrow Creek, Northern Territory in 1901-1902. Extinction attributed to predation by feral cats.
Notomys longicaudatus.jpg
Big-eared hopping-mouse Notomys macrotis Western central wheatbelt of Western Australia Last collected in 1843 near New Norcia. Considered to have been driven to extinction primarily by epizootic disease or predation by feral cats, with habitat degradation by sheep grazing as secondary factor.
Darling Downs hopping mouse Notomys mordax Darling Downs, Queensland Known from a single skull purchased in 1846. Considered extinct because of predation by feral cats, with habitat destruction by agriculture and livestock farming as possible contributors.
Great hopping mouse Notomys robustus Davenport and Flinders Ranges, South Australia Known only from skulls taken in old owl roosts.
Blue-gray mouse Pseudomys glaucus South-eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales Last collected with certainty before 1892. Extinction considered to have been due to habitat clearance, predation by feral cats and possibly red foxes.
Maclear's rat Rattus macleari Christmas Island Last collected in 1901-1902. Became extinct after being infected by trypanosome carried by fleas hosted by black rats, which were accidentally introduced by the SS Hindustan in 1900.
MusMacleariSmit.jpg
Bulldog rat Rattus nativitatis Christmas Island Last recorded in 1897-1898. Became extinct after being infected by trypanosome carried by fleas hosted by black rats introduced in 1900. It was rarer than R. macleari and disappeared first.
Rattus nativitatis.jpg
Possibly extinct
Common name Scientific name Range Comments
New Ireland forest rat Rattus sanila New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago Most recent remains dated to 347-535 CE.
Emma's giant rat Uromys emmae Owi Island, Papua, Indonesia Last seen in 1946.

True insectivores (order Eulipotyphla)

True shrews (family Soricidae)

Possibly extinct
Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Christmas Island shrew Crocidura trichura Christmas Island Last seen in 1985. The reasons for its decline are unknown.

Bats (order Chiroptera)

Megabats (family Pteropodidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Percy Island flying fox Pteropus brunneus Percy Islands, Queensland Known from a single specimen collected in 1874, though bats were reported as plentiful in the islands at the end of the 19th century. Possibly disappeared because of habitat loss.
Pteropus.jpg
Possibly extinct, megabats (family Pteropodidae)
Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Aru flying fox Pteropus aruensis Aru Islands, Indonesia Described in the mid-19th century. No sightings were made in the 20th century, but a jawbone found in a kitchen midden in 1992 probably belongs to this species. Pteropus aruensis.jpg

Vesper bats (family Vespertilionidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Christmas Island pipistrelle Pipistrellus murrayi Christmas Island Last recorded in 2009 following a 90% decline in three generations (10–15 years). The reasons are unclear, though predation and competition by introduced species, and exotic diseases have been suggested.
Lord Howe long-eared bat Nyctophilus howensis Lord Howe Island, New South Wales Known from a single skull found in 1972 and believed to be between 50 and 100 years old. The reasons of extinction are unclear but could have been predated on by introduced rats and owls.

Birds (class Aves)

Cassowaries and emus (order Casuariformes)

Cassowaries and emus (family Casuariidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Kangaroo Island emu Dromaius novaehollandiae baudinianus Kangaroo Island Last recorded in 1819. One egg found in 1830 could have been laid by an Australian emu introduced in 1826, or a hybrid. It was hunted to extinction. Baudin emus.jpg
King Island emu Dromaius novaehollandiae minor King Island, Tasmania Last recorded in the wild in 1805; the last in captivity died in 1822. It was hunted to extinction. Centenaire de la fondation du Muséum d'histoire naturelle 10 juin 1793 - 10 juin 1893 - volume commémoratif (1893) (19965217444).jpg
Tasmanian emu Dromaius novaehollandiae diemenensis Tasmania Last recorded in 1851. Captive animals reported until the 1870s may have been actually imported from Australia. It was hunted to extinction. Tasmanian Emu.jpg

Landfowl (order Galliformes)

Megapodes (family Megapodidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments
New Ireland scrubfowl, large Bismarck's megapode Megapodius sp. New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago Prehistoric
Locally extinct
Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Dusky megapode Megapodius freycinet From the Maluku Islands to Tonga Remains were found in archaeological assemblages of Nombe, in the New Guinea Highlands, which has been inhabited from 30,000 years ago to today. It lived in Tikopia, Solomon Islands until the Lapita period, and survives in the Indonesian Raja Ampat Islands, northwest of New Guinea, but connected to Sahul during the Last Glacial Period. Megapodius freycinet 1838.jpg

Waterfowl (order Anseriformes)

Ducks, geese, and swans (family Anatidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Macquarie Islands teal Anas cf. chlorotis Macquarie Island, Tasmania Prehistoric

Pigeons and doves (order Columbiformes)

Pigeons and doves (family Columbidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Lord Howe pigeon Columba vitiensis godmanae Lord Howe Island Hunted to extinction in 1853. Columba vitiensis godmanae.jpg
Norfolk pigeon Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae spadicea Norfolk Island Last recorded in 1900. It was hunted to extinction. NorfolkIlslandPigeonByJohnHunter.jpg
Norfolk ground dove Pampusana norfolkensis Norfolk and possibly Nepean Island Known from a 1788-1790 painting and descriptions. No remains survive, though bones found in the islands may belong to this species.
Gallicolumba norfolciensis.JPG

Rails and cranes (order Gruiformes)

Rails (family Rallidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
New Ireland rail Hypotaenidia ernstmayri New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago Known from fragmentary subfossil remains.
Macquarie Island banded rail Hypotaenidia philippensis macquarensis South Macquarie Island, Tasmania Last recorded in 1879. Driven to extinction by hunting and predation by introduced feral cats, mongooses, pigs, and dogs.
Norfolk Island rail Hypotaenidia sp. Norfolk Island Possibly depicted in a 1788 painting. It was hunted to extinction.
Western Lewin's rail Lewinia pectoralis clelandi Southwestern Australia Last recorded in 1932. Extinct because of drainage and burning of wetlands for agriculture and settlement.
White swamphen Porphyrio albus Lord Howe Island, New South Wales Last recorded with certainty in 1790. It was hunted by whalers and sailors, and was extinct by the time the island was colonized in 1834.
PorphyrioStanleyiKeulemans.jpg
Giant swamphen Porphyrio sp. New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago Prehistoric
New Ireland swamphen Porphyrio sp. New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago Prehistoric
Norfolk swamphen Porphyrio sp. Norfolk Island Known from remains in Polynesian middens. It was extinct by the time of European colonisation in 1788.
Locally extinct, rails (family Rallidae)
Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Tasmanian nativehen Tribonyx mortierii Mainland Australia and Tasmania This flightless bird is widespread in Tasmania, having benefited from European-style agriculture. Fossil records indicate that it was found on the Australian mainland until around 4700 years ago. Suggested reasons for its extirpation have included human overhunting, the introduction of the dingo, or an extremely dry period.
Tasmanian Nativehen (Gallinula mortierii) - Mt Field National Park.jpg

Shorebirds (order Charadriiformes)

Sandpipers (family Scolopacidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Norfolk snipe Coenocorypha sp. Norfolk Island Prehistoric

Albatrosses and petrels (order Procellariiformes)

Petrels and shearwaters (family Procellariidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Pterodroma sp. Norfolk Island Prehistoric

Boobies, cormorants, and allies (order Suliformes)

Cormorants and shags (family Phalacrocoracidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Serventys' cormorant Microcarbo serventyorum Bullsbrook, Western Australia Known from a subfossil pelvis and associated proximal femora and caudal vertebrae.

Hawks and relatives (order Accipitriformes)

Hawks, eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures (family Accipitridae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Accipiter sp. 1 New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago Prehistoric. One of the two New Ireland species may be the extant Meyer's goshawk.
Accipiter sp. 2 New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago Prehistoric. One of the two New Ireland species may be the extant Meyer's goshawk.

Owls (order Strigiformes)

True owls (family Strigidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Images
Lord Howe boobook Ninox novaeseelandiae albaria Lord Howe Island, New South Wales Probably disappeared in the 1940s or 1950s due to deforestation, predation by introduced black rats, and predation or competition with southern boobooks, barn owls, and masked owls (all introduced in unsuccessful attempts to control the invasive rat population). Lord Howe Boobook.JPG
Norfolk boobook Ninox novaeseelandiae undulata Norfolk Island Last individual died in 1996. Declined due to deforestation leading to increased competition for nest-hollows with honeybees and crimson rosellas. Descendants hybridized with the New Zealand subspecies N. n. novaeseelandiae survive in the island. Ninox novaeseelandiae undulata.jpg

Barn-owls (family Tytonidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Mussau barn owl Tyto cf. novaehollandiae Mussau Island, Bismarck Archipelago Prehistoric
Greater New Ireland barn owl Tyto cf. novaehollandiae New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago Prehistoric
Lesser New Ireland barn owl Tyto cf. alba / aurantia New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago Prehistoric

Parrots (order Psittaciformes)

Kea and kākā (family Nestoridae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Norfolk kākā Nestor productus Norfolk Island Last birds in the wild were sighted between 1825 and 1854, and the last in captivity died in London in 1851. Disappeared because of hunting and habitat destruction by introduced rabbits, pigs, and goats.
John-Gould-001.jpg

Cockatoos (family Cacatuidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments
New Ireland cockatoo Cacatua sp. New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago Prehistoric

Old World parrots (family Psittaculidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Lord Howe parakeet Cyanoramphus subflavescens Lord Howe Island, New South Wales Last seen in 1869. Exterminated by farmers because it predated on gardens and crops.
CyanorhamphusSubflavescensKeulemans.jpg
Macquarie parakeet Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae erythrotis Macquarie Island, Tasmania Last seen in 1890. Probably driven to extinction by introduced weka and rabbits.
Paradise parrot Psephotellus pulcherrimus Southeastern Queensland and possibly New South Wales Last confirmed observation in 1927 or 1928; it was considered extinct after a drought in 1902 but was rediscovered in 1918. Unconfirmed observations were made in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1990. Extinction factors include reduction of food supply due to drought and overgrazing, deforestation, altered fire regimes, spread of invasive prickly pears in Australia, disease, hunting and nest raiding.
Paradise Parrot.jpg

Perching birds (order Passeriformes)

Australasian wrens (family Maluridae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Dirk Hartog thick-billed grasswren Amytornis textilis carteri Dirk Hartog Island, Western Australia Last recorded in 1918. Disappeared due to predation by introduced black rats.
Amytornis textilis.jpg
Namoi Valley thick-billed grasswren Amytornis textilis inexpectatus Central New South Wales Last recorded in 1912. Reasons of extinction unknown.
Southwestern thick-billed grasswren Amytornis textilis macrourus Southwestern Australia Last recorded in 1910. Extinct due to drought and overgrazing by introduced mammals.

Bristlebirds (family Dasyornithidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Western rufous bristlebird Dasyornis broadbenti litoralis Southwestern Australia Last recorded around 1930. Disappeared due to the burning of shrublands for pasture and predation by feral cats.
Rufous Bristlebird.jpg

Australian warblers (family Acanthizidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Lord Howe gerygone Gerygone insularis Lord Howe Island, New South Wales Last recorded in 1928. Presumed to have become extinct due to nest raiding by black rats, but disease from introduced passerines could also have been a factor.
Gerygone insularis.jpg

Cuckooshrikes and allies (family Campephagidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Norfolk triller Lalage leucopyga leucopyga Norfolk Island Last recorded in 1942. Probably driven to extinction by invasive black rats and deforestation.
Lalage leucopyga leucopyga.jpg

Fantails and silktails (family Rhipiduridae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Lord Howe fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa cervina Lord Howe Island, New South Wales Last recorded in 1924. Probably disappeared due to predation by introduced black rats.
Rhipidura fuliginosa cervina.jpg

Crows and relatives (family Corvidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments
New Ireland crow Corvus sp. New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago Prehistoric

Australasian robins (family Petroicidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Roper River scrub robin Drymodes superciliaris colcloughi Northern Territory Last recorded in 1910. This subspecies may be invalid. It is known from only two specimens of doubtful provenance.

White-eyes (family Zosteropidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Robust white-eye Zosterops strenuus Lord Howe Island, New South Wales Extinction believed to be a result of predation by black rats that escaped the wreck of the SS Makambo in 1918, as it was not found in searches carried out in 1928 and 1936.
Robust White-eye.jpg
Possibly extinct, white-eyes (family Zosteropidae)
Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
White-chested white-eye Zosterops albogularis Norfolk Island Last confirmed sighting in 2000, followed by an unconfirmed one in 2005. The species declined due to competition with the silvereye Zosterops lateralis, which was introduced in 1904; the accidental introduction of black rats in the mid-1940s, and the clearance of forests.
Zosteropsalboguralis.jpg

Grassbirds and allies (family Locustellidae)

Possibly extinct
Common name Scientific name Range Comments
New Britain thicketbird Cincloramphus grosvenori New Britain, Bismarck Archipelago Known only from two individuals collected, and another two seen shortly after, in 1958.

Thrushes (family Turdidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Norfolk thrush Turdus poliocephalus poliocephalus Norfolk Island The subspecies became extinct around the late 1970s, with the last confirmed record in 1975. The cause of its extinction is attributed to a combination of clearing of native vegetation and predation by rats and feral cats. Additional factors were competition with introduced song thrushes and common blackbirds, as well as interbreeding with the latter species producing sterile offspring.
Turdus.p.poliocephalus.jpg
Lord Howe thrush Turdus poliocephalus vinitinctus Lord Howe Island, New South Wales Not recorded since c. 1924. Believed to be a result of the introduction of black rats following the grounding of the SS Makambo in June 1918.
Turdus poliocephalus vinitinctus.jpg

Starlings (family Sturnidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Norfolk Island starling Aplonis fusca fusca Norfolk Island Last recorded in 1923, although its absence was not noted until 1968. It may have disappeared due to habitat destruction, or predation by black rats if it survived until 1940, when they were introduced to the island. As the last surviving subspecies, its extinction was also that of the species.
Norfolk Island Tasman Starling.jpg
Lord Howe starling Aplonis fusca hulliana Lord Howe Island, New South Wales Last seen in 1918. Probably disappeared due to predation by black rats, which were introduced to the island in that year.
Aplonis fuscus hullianus.jpg

Reptiles (class Reptilia)

Squamates (order Squamata)

Common geckos (family Gekkonidae)

N388 w1150
All extinct and extinct in the wild reptiles of Christmas Island, from left to right: Emoia nativitatis, Lepidodactylus listeri, Cryptoblepharus egeriae.
Extinct in the wild
Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Christmas Island chained gecko Lepidodactylus listeri Christmas Island Last recorded in the wild in 2012, probably as a result of predation by introduced Indian wolf snakes.

Skinks (family Scincidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Christmas Island forest skink Emoia nativitatis Christmas Island Last seen in the wild in 2010. An attempted captivity breeding program in 2009 failed because only females could be captured, and the last captive animal died in 2014. Became extinct due to predation by introduced Indian wolf snakes, possibly hastened by deforestation.
Extinct in the wild, skinks (family Scincidae)
Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Christmas Island blue-tailed skink Cryptoblepharus egeriae Christmas Island Last seen in the wild in 2010, likely as a result of predation by introduced Indian wolf snakes.

Amphibians (class Amphibia)

Frogs (order Anura)

Australian ground frogs (family Myobatrachidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Southern gastric-brooding frog Rheobatrachus silus Conondale and Blackall Ranges, Queensland Last captured from the wild in 1981, the last captive specimen died in 1983. Reasons for extinction unknown, but chytridiomycosis is suspected.
Rheobatrachus silus.jpg
Northern gastric-brooding frog Rheobatrachus vitellinus Eungella National Park, Queensland Last recorded in 1985. Reasons for extinction unknown, but chytridiomycosis is suspected.
Sharp snouted day frog Taudactylus acutirostris Coastal north Queensland from Mount Graham to the Big Tableland Last seen in 1997, apparently exterminated by chytridiomycosis.
Mount Glorious day frog Taudactylus diurnus Blackall, Conondale, and D'Aguilar Ranges in southeast Queensland Last recorded in 1979. Reasons of extinction unknown, but chytridiomycosis is suspected.

Treefrogs and allies (family Hylidae)

Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Mountain mist frog Ranoidea nyakalensis Wet Tropics of Queensland Last recorded in 1990, declared extinct in 2022. Rapidly declined, likely due to chytridiomycosis.
Data deficient, treefrogs and allies (family Hylidae)
Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Peppered tree frog Ranoidea piperata A very small area of the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales This species was last seen in 1973. It is classified as data deficient because there is substantial uncertainty regarding its taxonomic status. Either the type series represents unusually coloured individuals of Pearson's green tree frog or it is a distinct species that is now most likely extinct.

Ray-finned fish (class Actinopterygii)

Anglerfish (order Lophiiformes)

Handfish (family Brachionichthyidae)

Data deficient
Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Smooth handfish Sympterichthys unipennis Southeastern Tasmania Last recorded in 1802. Possibly disappeared due to habitat destruction and accidental capture at scallop and oyster fisheries.

Galaxias (order Galaxiiformes)

Galaxias (family Galaxiidae)

Extinct in the wild
Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Pedder galaxias Galaxias pedderensis Lake Pedder, Tasmania Initially, the species expanded its range after the area was inundated for hydroelectric power generation in 1972. Introduced trout were a significant factor in the decline of this species. It was scarce by 1980, and the last wild specimen was captured in 1996. The species survives in two translocated populations outside its original range, one at Lake Oberon in the Western Arthurs mountain range and one at a modified water supply dam near Strathgordon. Galaxias pedderensis.png

Insects (class Insecta)

Beetles (order Coleoptera)

Predaceous diving beetles (family Dytiscidae)

Scientific name Range
Rhantus papuanus Papua New Guinea

Snails and slugs (class Gastropoda)

Order Stylommatophora

Family Bothriembryontidae

Common name Scientific name Range Comments
Lord Howe flax snail (subspecies) Placostylus bivaricosus etheridgei Lord Howe Island, New South Wales A type of land snail.

Family Achatinellidae

Scientific name Range Comments
Tornelasmias capricorni Blackburn Island Possibly exterminated by black rats that swam from nearby Lord Howe Island.

Clitellates (class Clitellata)

Order Opisthopora

Family Megascolecidae

Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures
Lake Pedder earthworm Hypolimnus pedderensis Lake Pedder, Tasmania Known only from one specimen collected in 1971. The area was inundated for hydroelectric power generation in 1972.
Hypolimnus pedderensis Wikipedia.jpg

Plants (kingdom Plantae)

Plants listed as extinct by the federal government

Plants and animals are listed as extinct and the federal level under the auspices of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The Act lists all plants considered to have become extinct since the commencement of European settlement of Australia in 1788. There are 37 species currently listed as extinct under the Act.

Of note, the species Pimelea spinescens subsp. pubiflora was presumed extinct after 1901, but a population was discovered in 2005. The orchid Diuris bracteata was also considered extinct after its first collection in 1899, but it was thought to have been rediscovered in 1998. The later collections are now considered to be Diuris platichila. The spiny everlasting (Acanthocladium dockeri) was reclassified as critically endangered in 2006 after it was rediscovered in 1999. Bennett's Seaweed, declared extinct under the EPBC Act in 1999; was the first protist listed as extinct by the IUCN in 2004.

Name Common name Distribution
Acacia kingiana WA
Acacia prismifolia Diel's wattle WA
Acianthus ledwardii QLD
Amperea xiphoclada var. pedicellata NSW
Amphibromus whitei QLD
Caladenia brachyscapa short spider-orchid TAS
Coleanthera virgata hidden coleanthera WA
Deyeuxia lawrencei TAS
Didymoglossum exiguum QLD
Diuris bracteata NSW
Euphrasia ruptura NSW
Frankenia decurrens decurrent-leaved frankenia WA
Huperzia serrata water tassel-fern QLD
Hymenophyllum lobbii QLD
Hymenophyllum whitei QLD
Lemmaphyllum accedens QLD
Lepidium drummondii Drummond's lepidium WA
Leucopogon cryptanthus small-flowered leucopogon WA
Lycopodium volubile = Pseudodiphasium volubile QLD
Marsdenia araujacea QLD
Monogramma dareicarpa grass fern QLD
Musa fitzalanii Daintree banana QLD
Myriocephalus nudus WA
Olearia oliganthema NSW
Opercularia acolytantha WA
Ozothamnus selaginoides clubmoss everlasting, Table Mountain daisy bush TAS
Paspalum batianoffii QLD
Persoonia laxa NSW
Persoonia prostrata QLD
Pultenaea maidenii Maiden's bush-pea VIC
Senecio georgianus grey groundsel NSW, SA, VIC
Solanum bauerianum bridal flower LHI, NI
Tetratheca fasciculata Cronin's tetratheca WA
Thomasia gardneri Mount Holland thomasia WA
Tmesipteris lanceolata QLD
Trianthema cypseleoides NSW
Vanvoorstia bennettiana Bennett's seaweed NSW

Plants listed as extinct by the states and territories

B integrifolia integrifolia1
Banksia integrifolia is common along the east coast of the Australian mainland, but has recently been declared extinct in Tasmania.

Each state and territory of Australia has legislation to record the extinction of plants and animals; organisms listed as extinct at the state level may differ from those listed under the EPBC Act.

Australian Capital Territory

Threatened species are listed under the Nature Conservation Act 2014 in the Australian Capital Territory.

New South Wales

There are 35 taxa "presumed extinct" as specified in Part 4 of Schedule 1 of the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. Species presumed extinct in New South Wales, but not listed under the EPBC Act include:

Rhaphidospora bonneyana, Glinus orygioides, Ptilotus extenuatus, Acanthocladium dockeri (listed by EPBC as extinct in SA, but not NSW), Blumea lacera, Senecio behrianus, Stemmacantha australis, Lepidium foliosum, Stenopetalum velutinum, Atriplex acutiloba, Maireana lanosa, Osteocarpum pentapterum, Hypolepis elegans, Codonocarpus pyramidalis, Haloragis stricta, Myriophyllum implicatum, Caladenia rosella, Thelymitra epipactoides, Comesperma scoparium, Grevillea nematophylla, Persoonia laxa, Pomaderris oraria, Aphanes pentamera, Knoxia sumatrensis, Micromelum minutum, Philotheca angustifolia, Dodonaea stenophylla, Tetratheca pilosa subsp. pilosa.

Although listed as extinct under the EPBC Act, Diurus bracteata is listed as endangered in New South Wales.

Northern Territory

Threatened species is the Northern Territory are listed under IUCN criteria by the Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts. As of 2006 there are no recorded plant extinctions in the Northern Territory.

South Australia

Threatened species are listed under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 in South Australia. 26 plant taxa are presumed extinct in South Australia, 2 of these are listed under the EPBC Act

Queensland

Threatened species are listed under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and the Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation 2006 in Queensland, under this act some species are described as "presumed extinct". There are currently 27 species described as presumed extinct in Queensland, those not listed under the EPBC Act include:

Acianthus ledwardii, Amphineuron immersum, Antrophyum austroqueenslandicum, Corchorus thozetii, Dimocarpus leichhardtii, Lindsaea pulchella var. blanda, Oldenlandia tenelliflora var. papuana, Rhaphidospora cavernarum, Tapeinosperma flueckigeri, Teucrium ajugaceum, Trichomanes exiguum, Wendlandia psychotrioides, Zieria sp. (Russell River S.Johnson in 1892).

It was reported on 12 April 2008 that two of the plants, Rhaphidospora cavernarum and Teucrium ajugaceum have been rediscovered on Cape York between Cooktown and Lockhart River, and are now re-classified as "vulnerable".

Tasmania

There are 20 taxa classified as "presumed extinct" under schedule 3.2 of the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995. Only three of these species are listed as extinct under the EPBC Act. The additional species listed as extinct under Tasmanian legislation are:

Ballantinia antipoda, Banksia integrifolia subsp. integrifolia, Botrychium australe, Caladenia cardiochila, Chenopodium erosum, Coopernookia barbata, Hibbertia obtusifolia, Lepilaena australis, Levenhookia dubia, Myriophyllum glomeratum, Podotheca angustifolia, Prostanthera cuneata, Punctelia subflava, Senecio macrocarpus, Thesium australe, Thynninorchis huntiana and Veronica notabilis.

Victoria

Threatened species in Victoria are identified under the auspices of the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988); the act does not specify species presumed extinct. The Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment maintain a list of species presumed extinct in Victoria; they list 51 extinct taxa, those not listed under the EPBC Act include:

Acacia argyrophylla, Acacia havilandiorum, Acrotriche depressa, Actinotus bellidioides, Asplenium polyodon, Atriplex billardierei, Austrostipa tuckeri, Caladenia carnea var. subulata, Caladenia magnifica, Caladenia thysanochila, Calotis pubescens, Cardamine gunnii s.s., Centipeda pleiocephala, Cheiranthera alternifolia, Chionogentias gunniana, Convolvulus microsepalus, Cuscuta victoriana, Cyperus vaginatus, Digitaria diffusa, Dodonaea heteromorpha, Epilobium willisii, Euphrasia collina subsp. speciosa, Hibbertia incana s.s., Hypolepis elegans subsp. elegans, Leiocarpa tomentosa, Leionema microphyllum, Lemooria burkittii, Leptorhynchos scaber s.s., Phyllangium sulcatum, Picris barbarorum, Podolepis arachnoidea, Pomaderris obcordata, Prasophyllum colemaniae, Prasophyllum morganii, Prasophyllum sp. aff. odoratum, Prasophyllum suttonii s.s., Pterostylis sp. aff. biseta (Lara), Rutidosis helichrysoides, Senecio murrayanus, Senna form taxon 'artemisioides', Stemmacantha australis, Stenanthemum notiale subsp. notiale, Trema tomentosa var. viridis, Braithwaitea sulcata.

Western Australia

There are 14 taxa classified as "X: Declared Rare Flora - Presumed Extinct Taxa" under the Department of Environment and Conservation's Declared Rare and Priority Flora List, all of which have been gazetted as presumed extinct flora in Western Australia under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950. This list coincides with the federal EPBC Act list, except that it includes Leptomeria dielsiana, Ptilotus caespitulosus and Taraxacum cygnorum; and excludes Frankenia conferta (Silky Frankenia) and Calothamnus accedens.

See also

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
List of Australia-New Guinea species extinct in the Holocene Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.