NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Greater Bilby
Macrotis lagotis (Reid, 1837)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
A bilby (Macrotis lagotis - large animal) and a Spinifex hopping mouse (Notomys alexis - small animal) at Sydney Wildlife World, a zoo in Sydney.
Dcoetzee · Public domain · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) or often simply bilby, is a long-eared, rabbit-like marsupial found in Australia. It lives in burrows and is active at night, feeding on insects, fruit, or fungi. Formerly widespread, bilbies are now restricted to parts of northwestern and central Australia due to threats like habitat loss, disease, and introduced predators such as foxes.
It is commonly now simply called bilby (or bilbies for plural) after the lesser bilby (Macrotis leucura) became extinct in the 1950s. Other names include dalgyte, pinkie, or rabbit-eared bandicoot.
Wikipedia contributors, Greater bilby; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:04:47.535618+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Macrotis lagotis (Reid, 1837)
- Name authority
- (Reid, 1837)
- Common name
- Greater Bilby
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Peramelemorphia
- Family
- Thylacomyidae
- Genus
- Macrotis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassMetatheria Huxley, 1880
- orderPeramelemorphia Ameghino, 1889
- familyThylacomyidae Bensley, 1903
- genusMacrotis Reid, 1837
- speciesMacrotis lagotis (Reid, 1837)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Macrotis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Lesser BilbyMacrotis leucura (Thomas, 1887) | ThylacomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Perameles lagotis Reid, 1837 Reid, 1837 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=552658 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3XC4Y. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.