 The genus was established in 1975 to accommodate two newly described species of dasyurids, the type species "Ningaui timealeyi" and "Ningaui ridei".The author, Mike Archer, compared his specimens to those of "Sminthopsis" (the dunnarts), distinguishing the new taxon by the structure of the skull, the hindfoot, features of dentition and their smaller size, morphology that was presumed to be specialisations to a more arid environment.The author provided a diagnosis of two species that distinguished the populations by further details of cranial and dental characters.