Eye witness account: "I was spotlighting in Coupe 843/501/10, at Dingo Creek, on Jan 20th, 2002. It was a still night with a light mist. The branch of a Silver Wattle moved slightly, so I tracked the torch along it and then saw a small furry creature scurrying along. It did not turn to the light and I saw no eye-shine from it. It ran along constantly, moving its head from side to side, as if sniffing the branch. It had a long tail with a distinct tuft on the end of it, which flowed along behind. The body was about 100mm long and the tail about 150-200mm long. The tuft was bout 30x50mm, at the end of an otherwise rat-like tail. It seemed to use the tail as a stabilising rudder, especially when going from one branch to another; its motion was so smooth you couldn't tell if it jumped or climbed."
"At the time I didn't think much of it; some kind of antechinus. It was only later when I tried to work out which species it was that I realised it didn't match anything known from the area. By the time I went back to look again, the forest had been clearfelled. I've searched twice through the adjacent forest, but without success. I've spoken to three zoologists about it, one said that the motion I described matched that of hunting lerps; little invertebrates on the tree-branch."

Called the "Tuft-tailed Phascogale", as it most closely fits the Phascogale tribe. The Red-tail Phascogale seen below is a close match, but is only known in Western Australia. Illustrations of the presumed extinct Coniolurus look similar, but as a Rodent it would be unlikely to be hunting in a Silver Wattle. These species was once known to East Gippsland, and Dingo Creek is one of very few still unaffected by introduced predators.

The Quest for the Tuft-tailed Phascogale. details of the next survey.

What it isn't:
Not a Brush-tailed Phascogale; the size was much smaller and the tail only tufted at the tip.
Not a Red-tailed Phascogale; they are only known to Western Australia.
Not a Feathertail Glider; they have a short tail with no tuft and are not known to hunt.
Not an Agile Antechinus; they have a short tail with no tuft.
Not a Dusky Antechinus; they have a short tail with no tuft.
Not a Leadbeater's Possum; it did not turn to the light or give an eyeshine, which is characteristic of all possums. It was also smaller. Leadbeater's are not known to the area or the forest type.
Not a Hopping-mouse, Kultarr, Kowari, Jerboa or Mulgara; they are all desert species.
Not a Conilurus; they are rodents, not known to hunt and presumed extinct.

The Dasyuromorphia family tree is shown:

Each photo is linked to the web page from which it was sourced.

Order	Family	Sub-family (genus)	Tribe	Species
Dasyuromorphia	Dasyuridae	Phascogalinae	Antechinus	Antechinus agilis pictured above Antechinus bellus, Antechinus flavipes, Antechinus godmani, Antechinus leo, Antechinus stuartii, Antechinus swainsonii, pictured above Antechinus wilhelmina.
			Phascogale	Red-tailed Phascogale, Phascogale calura, Brush-tailed Phascogale, Phascogale tapoatafa.
		Dasyurinae	Mulgara, Dasycercus	Mulgara Dasycercus cristicauda
			Kaluta, Dasykaluta	Dasykaluta rosamondae.
			Kowari, Dasyurid	Kowari, Dasyuroides byrnei
			Quolls, Dasyurus	Dasyurus albopunctatus, Dasyurus geoffroii, Dasyurus hallucatus, Dasyurus maculatus, Dasyurus spartacus, Dasyurus viverrinus.
			Tasmanian Devil, Sarcophilus	Sarcophilus lanarius.
			Dibblers, Parantechinus	Parantechinus apicalis, Parantechinus bilarni.
			Pseudantechinus	Pseudantechinus macdonnellensis, Pseudantechinus ningbing.
		Planigalanae	Ningaui	Ningaui ridei, Ningaui timealeyi, Ningaui yvonnae.
			Planigale	Planigale gilesi, Planigale ingrami, Planigale maculata, Planigale novaeguineae, Planigale tenuirostris.
		Dunnarts and Kultarr, Sminthopsinae	Dunnarts, Sminthopsis	Sminthopsis aitkeni, Sminthopsis archeri, Sminthopsis butleri, Sminthopsis crassicaudata, Sminthopsis dolichura, Sminthopsis douglasi, Sminthopsis fuliginosus, Sminthopsis gilberti, Sminthopsis granulipes, Sminthopsis griseoventer, Sminthopsis hirtipes, Sminthopsis leucopus, Sminthopsis longicaudata, Sminthopsis macroura, Sminthopsis murina, Sminthopsis ooldea, Sminthopsis psammophila, Sminthopsis virginiae, Sminthopsis youngsoni.
			Kultarr, Antechinomys	Jerboa, Antechinomys laniger Jerboa, Antechinomys spencerii
		Tylacinidae	Tasmanian Tiger, Thylacinus	Thylacinus cynocephalus.
Diprotodontia	Phalangerida	Tarsipedoidae	Acrobatidae	Feathertail Glider, Acrobates pygmae
		Petauridae	Petaurinae	Leadbeater's Possum, Gymnobelideus leadbeateri Yellow-Bellied Glider, Petaurus australis Sugar Glider, Petaurus breviceps Squirrel Glider, Petaurus norfolcensis
			Pseudocheiridae	Greater Glider, Petauroides volans
Rodentia	Muridae	Hydromynae	Conilurini	Spinifex Hopping-mouse, Notomys alexsis
				White-footed Tree-rat, Conilurus Albipes Once known to East Gippsland

Habitat
This aerial photo is of the exact location where the Tuft-tailed Phascogale was seen, with the cross-hairs locating the exact site.
The old-growth forest giants have hollows where branches have fallen. Hollows also occur at ground level in the fallen branches, creating homes for the species to live in.
The Silver Wattles provide a food source, both in flower nectar and as hunting grounds for the invertabrates that live on the lichen & moss covered branches.

Where it was seen:	Key to the photo:
	Forest regenerated from the 1932 bushfire. A forest giant with a crown over 50m wide. Silver Wattles.