NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Mitchell's Hopping Mouse
Notomys mitchellii (Ogilby, 1838)
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
Mitchell's hopping mouse (Notomys mitchellii) also known as the pankot, is the largest extant member of the genus Notomys, weighing between 40 and 60 g (1.4 and 2.1 oz). N. mitchellii is a bipedal rodent with large back legs, similar to a jerboa or kangaroo rat. The species occurs throughout much of semi-arid Southern Australia, and appears to be particularly common on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. Typical habitat for N. mitchellii appears to be mallee shrublands on sandy dune systems. The species is currently considered to be unthreatened, but its range has been reduced through habitat disturbance and destruction associated with European settlement in Australia. Individuals are a sandy grey colour, with white chest hairs and a paler underbelly. The tail of the species is long and has the characteristic hopping mouse brush at the tip. This tail morphology is thought to aid balance when travelling at speed. Being nocturnal, Notomys mitchellii shelters during the day in typical hopping mouse burrows; a small number of interconnected, vertical shafts, burrowing deep into the dune.
Wikipedia contributors, Mitchell's hopping mouse; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:47:51.252720+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Notomys mitchellii (Ogilby, 1838)
- Name authority
- (Ogilby, 1838)
- Common name
- Mitchell's Hopping Mouse
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Muridae
- Genus
- Notomys
- 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
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderMyomorpha Brandt, 1855
- superfamilyMuroidea Illiger, 1811
- familyMuridae Illiger, 1811
- subfamilyMurinae Illiger, 1811
- genusNotomys Lesson, 1842
- speciesNotomys mitchellii (Ogilby, 1838)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Notomys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Spinifex Hopping MouseNotomys alexis Thomas, 1922 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Long-tailed Hopping MouseNotomys longicaudatus (Gould, 1844) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Darling Downs Hopping MouseNotomys mordax Thomas, 1922 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Short-tailed Hopping MouseNotomys amplus Brazenor, 1936 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Fawn Hopping MouseNotomys cervinus (Gould, 1853) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dusky Hopping MouseNotomys fuscus (Wood Jones, 1925) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Big-eared Hopping MouseNotomys macrotis Thomas, 1921 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Hapalotis gouldi Gould, 1863 Gould, 1863 | synonym |
| Hapalotis richardsonii Gray, 1844 Gray, 1844 | synonym |
| Notomys mitchellii macropus Thomas, 1921 Thomas, 1921 | synonym |
| Notomys mitchellii alutacea Brazenor, 1934 Brazenor, 1934 | 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=585445 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:47WX4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.