SREL Reprint #3203

An updated description of the New Guinea singing dog (Canis hallstromi, Troughton 1957)

Janice Koler-Matznick1, I. Lehr Brisbin Jr.2, Mark Feinstein3, and Susan Bulmer4

1The New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society, 5265 Old Stage Road,
Central Point, Oregon 97502, USA
2Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina, USA
3Hampshire College, School of Cognitive Science, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
4Bulmer and Associates, Auckland, New Zealand

Abstract: In 1957, Troughton described the wild dog of New Guinea, naming it Canis hallstromi. Here the description given by Troughton is expanded by the addition of morphological, molecular and behavioural information collected from both captive and wild New Guinea singing dogs subsequent to the original description. The data support Troughton’s identification of this canid as a unique taxon, although further studies are needed to clarify the exact level of taxonomic differentiation of this rare and possibly highly endangered canid.

Keywords: Canis, Canis hallstromi, New Guinea, dingo, dog

SREL Reprint #3203

Koler-Matznick, J., I. L. Brisbin Jr., M. Feinstein, and S. Bulmer. 2003. An updated description of the New Guinea singing dog (Canis hallstromi, Troughton 1957). Journal of Zoology 261(2003): 109-118.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).