We identify the rich carbon star population of the Magellanic-type dwarf irregular galaxy WLM (Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte) and study its photometric properties from deep near-IR observations. The galaxy also exhibits a clear presence of oxygen-rich population. We derive a carbon to M-star ratio of C/M=0.56+/-0.12, relatively high in comparison with many galaxies. The spatial distribution of the AGB stars in WLM hints at the presence of two stellar complexes with a size of a few hundred parsecs. Using the HI map of WLM and the derived gas-to-dust ratio for this galaxy N(HI)/E(B-V)=60+/-10[10^21^at/cm^2^/mag] we re-determined the distance modulus of WLM from the IR photometry of four known Cepheids, obtaining (m-M)0=24.84+/-0.14mag. In addition, we determine the scale length of 0.75+/-0.14kpc of WLM disk in the J-band.

Cone search capability for table J/A+A/466/501/table1 (Photometry of 555 WLM stars with J- and Ks-band photometry)