NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Cape York Rock Wallaby
Petrogale coenensis Eldredge & Close, 1992
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
The Cape York rock-wallaby (Petrogale coenensis) is a species of rock-wallaby restricted to Cape York Peninsula in northeastern Queensland, Australia. It is a member of a group of seven very closely related rock-wallabies, all found in northeastern Queensland, also including the Mount Claro rock-wallaby (P. sharmani), the Mareeba rock-wallaby (P. mareeba) and Godman's rock-wallaby (P. godmani).
The Cape York rock-wallaby is found only in central Cape York, from the Musgrave to the Pascoe River. It is also the only member of the group of seven species to be completely separated geographically from its relatives; it is separated from Godman's rock-wallaby by the Hann River Catchment (around 70 km).
Wikipedia contributors, Cape York rock-wallaby; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:30:33.005472+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Petrogale coenensis Eldredge & Close, 1992
- Name authority
- Eldredge & Close, 1992
- Common name
- Cape York Rock Wallaby
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Diprotodontia
- Family
- Macropodidae
- Genus
- Petrogale
- 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
- orderDiprotodontia Owen, 1866
- suborderMacropodiformes Ameghino, 1889
- familyMacropodidae Gray, 1821
- subfamilyMacropodinae Gray, 1821
- genusPetrogale Gray, 1837
- speciesPetrogale coenensis Eldredge & Close, 1992
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Petrogale. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Purple-necked Rock WallabyPetrogale purpureicollis Le Souef, 1924 | MacropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-flanked Rock WallabyPetrogale lateralis Gould, 1842 | MacropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| NabarlekPetrogale concinna Gould, 1842 | MacropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rothschild's Rock WallabyPetrogale rothschildi Thomas, 1904 | MacropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Herbert's Rock WallabyPetrogale herberti Thomas, 1926 | MacropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Unadorned Rock WallabyPetrogale inornata Gould, 1842 | MacropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
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=709409 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:6V729. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.