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The current literature on marsupial phylogenetics includes numerous studies based on analyses of morphological data with relatively limited sampling of Recent and fossil taxa, and many studies based on analyses of molecular data that include a dense sampling of Recent taxa, but relatively few that combine both data types. Another dichotomy in the marsupial phylogenetic literature is between studies that focus on New World taxa, others that focus on Sahulian taxa. To date, there has been no attempt to assess the phylogenetic relationships of the global marsupial fauna, based on combined analyses of morphology and molecular sequences, for a dense sampling of Recent and fossil taxa. For this report, we compiled morphological and molecular data from an unprecedented number of Recent and fossil marsupials. Our morphological data consist of 180 craniodental characters that we scored for 97 species representing every currently recognized Recent genus, 42 additional ingroup (crown-clade marsupial) taxa represented by well-preserved fossils, and 5 outgroups (non-marsupial metatherians). Our molecular data comprise 24.5 kb of DNA sequences from whole-mitochondrial genomes and six nuclear loci (APOB, BRCA1, GHR, RAG1, RBP3 and VWF) for 97 marsupial terminals (the same Recent taxa scored for craniodental morphology) and several placental and monotreme outgroups. The results of separate and combined analyses of these data using a wide range of phylogenetic methods support many currently accepted hypotheses of ingroup (marsupial) relationships, but they also underscore the difficulty of placing fossils with key missing data (e.g., †Evolestes), and the unique difficulty of placing others that exhibit mosaics of plesiomorphic and autapomorphic traits (e.g., †Yalkaparidon). Unique contributions of our study are (1) critical discussions and illustrations of marsupial craniodental morphology, including descriptions and illustrations of some features never previously coded for phylogenetic analysis; (2) critical assessments of relative support for many suprageneric clades; (3) estimates of divergence times derived from tip-and-node dating based on uniquely taxon-dense analyses; and (4) a revised, higher-order classification of marsupials accompanied by lists of supporting craniodental synapomorphies. Far from the last word on these topics, this report lays the foundation for future research that may be enabled by the discovery of new fossil taxa, better-preserved material of previously described taxa, novel morphological characters, and improved methods of phylogenetic analysis.

Petauridae Bonaparte, 1832 CONTENTS: Dactylonax, Dactylopsila, Gymnobelideus, and Petaurus (fig. 50). STEM AGE: 24.4 Mya (95% HPD: 23.6–26.1 Mya). CROWN AGE: 18.8 Mya (95% HPD: 15.9–22.4 Mya). UNAMBIGUOUS CRANIODENTAL SYNAPOMORPHIES: None. COMMENTS: Monophyly of Petauridae is strongly supported in our molecular (figs. 27–29) and total-evidence (figs. 32, 33) analyses, but we conspicuously failed to identify any unambiguous craniodental synapomorphies for the family. Instead, petaurids apparently retain the plesiomorphic states for many characters that evolved derived conditions along the branch leading to its sister taxon, Pseudocheiridae. 35 Nevertheless, five craniodental features optimize as petaurid synapomorphies under Accelerated Transformation only: the foramen rotundum is laterally exposed and separate from the sphenorbital fissure (char. 17: 1→0; ci = 0.286); postorbital processes are present (char. 18: 0→1; ci = 0.042); the frontal and squamosal are in contact on the lateral aspect of braincase (char. 26: 0→1; ci = 0.071); the presphenoid is exposed in the roof of the nasopharyngeal fossa above the posterior palate (char. 43: 1→0; ci = 0.091); the major crest of the semisectorial or fully sectorial P3 is oriented posterolabial to anterolingual (char. 127: 1→2; ci = 0.400); and the cristid obliqua of m1 contacts the metacristid labial to the metaconid (char. 169: 0→1; ci = 0.250). Phylogenetic analyses of the fossil petauroid † Djaludjangi yadjana (not included in our analyses as it is known from partial dentitions only) suggests that certain dental features of petaurids reconstructed here as plesiomorphic, such as the absence of any trace of selenodonty, may in fact be secondary reversals (Brammall, 1998). Archer (1984c: fig. 189), Archer et al. (1987), and Brammall (1998) listed a number of putative morphological synapomorphies for Petauridae, but, in general, we did not find these to be amenable for scoring as discrete characters. There is a pressing need for detailed studies of fossil and Recent phalangeridans to unravel patterns of craniodental evolution, because it seems plausible that “possum” evolution has been characterized by secondary simplification of certain features (including possible loss of selenodonty in petaurids) as well as the more widely recognized appearance of morphological novelties (Winge, 1941; Archer, 1976e; Archer et al., 1987; Woodburne et al., 1987a; Springer and Woodburne, 1989; Brammall, 1998). 35 Interestingly, Roberts (2008) found the opposite result in some of her phylogenetic analyses of living and fossil pseudocheirids, wherein she failed to identify any unambiguous craniodental synapomorphies for Pseudocheiridae. Within Petauridae, all our molecular (figs. 27–29) and total-evidence (figs. 32, 33) analyses placed Gymnobelideus in a clade with the dactylopsilines Dactylopsila and Dactylonax, to the exclusion of Petaurus. This arrangement was also recovered by the molecular analyses of Meredith et al. (2009a) and May-Collado et al. (2015), whereas the molecular analyses of Mitchell et al. (2014) and Álvarez-Carretero et al. (2021) found a Petaurus + Gymnobelideus clade. The cause of this incongruence between studies is unclear, and these different resolutions have important implications for the evolution of gliding adaptations (present in Petaurus and Gymnobelideus, absent in dactylopsilines) within Petauridae. The topology favored here implies that Gymnobelideus and Petaurus evolved their gliding patagia independently, or (perhaps less likely) that dactylopsilines have secondarily lost patagia. 36 Fossil petaurids have been reported from Oligo-Miocene sites in Australia, but much of this material remains undescribed (Brammall, 1998; Archer et al., 1999; Archer and Hand, 2006). † Djaludjangi yadjana, mentioned above, shares some putative synapomorphies with petaurids, but this has not been tested via suitably comprehensive phylogenetic analysis († Djaludjangi was included in the analyses of Roberts, 2008, but these were specifically focused on relationships within Pseudocheiridae), and Brammall’s (1998) recommendation that this taxon be treated as Petauroidea incertae sedis has been followed by subsequent authors (Long et al., 2002; Archer and Hand, 2006; Black et al., 2012b). Tedford et al. (1975) identified fragmentary craniodental remains, including two molars, from the early Miocene Geilston Bay Local Fauna of Tasmania (Tedford et al., 1975; Tedford and Kemp, 1998; Black et al., 2012b; Woodhead et al., 2014) as representing a probable phalangerid, but Tedford and Kemp (1998) subsequently referred them to Petauroidea. Crosby et al. (2001) argued that these molars more likely represent a phalangerid based on the presence of well-developed lophs, but Roberts (2008) continued to refer to them as petauroid, although her phylogenetic analyses did not unambiguously support petauroid affinities for them. Also of interest is Hocknull’s (2005, 2009) report of a new, currently unnamed petaurid from middle Pleistocene deposits at Mount Etna in Queensland that appears to retain several dental plesiomorphies relative to Recent petaurids; future phylogenetic analyses including this taxon may help clarify relationships both within the family and between petaurids and other petauroids., Published as part of Beck, Robin M. D., Voss, Robert S. & Jansa, Sharon A., 2022, Craniodental Morphology And Phylogeny Of Marsupials, pp. 1-353 in Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2022 (457) on pages 244-246, DOI: 10.1206/0003-0090.457.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6971356, {"references":["Bonaparte, C. 1832. Saggio d'una distribuzione metodica degli animali vertebrati a sangue freddo, Roma: Presso Antonio Boulzaler.","Brammall, J. R. 1998. A new petauroid possum from the Oligo-Miocene of Riversleigh, northwestern Queensland. Alcheringa: an Australasian Journal of Palaeontology 23: 31 - 50.","Archer, M., R. H. Tedford, and T. H. Rich. 1987. The Pilkipildridae, a new family and four new species of? petauroid possums (Marsupialia: Phalangerida) from the Australian Miocene. In M. Archer (editor), Possums and opossums: studies in evolution: 607 - 627. Sydney: Surrey Beatty and Sons.","Winge, H. 1941. The interrelationships of the mammalian genera. vol. 1. Monotremata, Marsupialia, Insectivora, Chiroptera, Edentata. (translated from the 1923 Danish original by E. Deichmann and G. M. Allen), Copenhagen: C. A. Reitzels Forlag.","Archer, M. 1976 e. Phascolarctid origins and the potential of the selenodont molar in the evolution of diprotodont marsupials. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 17 (3): 367 - 372.","Woodburne, M. O., N. S. Pledge, and M. Archer. 1987 a. The Miralinidae, a new family and two new species of phalangeroid marsupials from Miocene strata of South Australia. In M. Archer (editor), Possums and opossums: studies in evolution: 581 - 602. Sydney: Surrey Beatty and Sons.","Springer, M. S., and M. O. Woodburne. 1989. The distribution of some basicranial characters within the Marsupialia and a phylogeny of the Phalangeriformes. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 9 (2): 210 - 221.","Roberts, K. K. 2008. Oligo-Miocene pseudocheirid diversity and the early evolution of ringtail possums (Marsupialia). Ph. D. dissertation, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney.","Meredith, R. W., M. Westerman, and M. S. Springer. 2009 a. A phylogeny of Diprotodontia (Marsupialia) based on sequences for five nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 51 (3): 554 - 571.","May-Collado, L. J., C. W. Kilpatrick, and I. Agnarsson. 2015. Mammals from ' down under': a multi-gene species-level phylogeny of marsupial mammals (Mammalia, Metatheria). PeerJ 3: e 805.","Mitchell, K. J., et al. 2014. Molecular phylogeny, biogeography, and habitat preference evolution of marsupials. Molecular Biology and Evolution 31 (9): 2322 - 2330.","Alvarez-Carretero, S., et al. 2021. A species-level timeline of mammal evolution integrating phylogenomic data. Nature 602: 263 - 267.","Bassarova, M., and M. Archer. 1999. Living and extinct pseudocheirids (Marsupialia, Pseudocheiridae): Phylogenetic relationships and changes in diversity through time. Australian Mammalogy 21: 25 - 27.","Archer, M., and S. J. Hand. 2006. The Australian marsupial radiation. In J. R. Merrick, M. Archer, G. M. Hickey, and M. S. Y. Lee (editors), Evolution and biogeography of Australasian vertebrates: 575 - 646. Sydney: Auscipub Pty Ltd.","Long, J. A., M. Archer, T. F. Flannery, and S. J. Hand. 2002. Prehistoric mammals of Australia and New Guinea: one hundred million years of evolution, Sydney: UNSW Press.","Black, K. H., M. Archer, S. J. Hand, and H. Godthelp. 2012 b. The rise of Australian marsupials: a synopsis of biostratigraphic, phylogenetic, palaeoecologic and palaeobiogeographic understanding. In J. A. Talent (editor), Earth and life: global biodiversity, extinction intervals and biogeographic perturbations through time: 983 - 1078. Dordrecht: Springer Verlag.","Tedford, R. H., M. R. Banks, N. R. Kemp, I. McDougall, and F. L. Sutherland. 1975. Recognition of the oldest known fossil marsupials from Australia. Nature 225: 141 - 142.","Tedford, R. H., and N. R. Kemp. 1998. Oligocene marsupials of the Geilston Bay local fauna, Tasmania. American Museum Novitates 3244: 1 - 22.","Woodhead, J., et al. 2014. Developing a radiometricallydated chronologic sequence for Neogene biotic change in Australia, from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area of Queensland. Gondwana Research 29 (1): 153 - 167.","Crosby, K., M. Nagy, and M. Archer. 2001. Wyulda asherjoeli, a new phalangerid (Diprotodontia: Marsupialia) from the early Miocene of Riversleigh, northwestern Queensland. Memoirs of the Association of Australasian Palaeontologists 25: 77 - 82.","Hocknull, S. A. 2005. Ecological succession during the late Cainozoic of central eastern Queensland: extinction of a diverse rainforest community. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 51 (1): 39 - 122.","Hocknull, S. A. 2009. Late Cainozoic rainforest vertebrates from Australopapua: evolution, biogeography and extinction. Ph. D. dissertation, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney."]}

Despite a large body of research, little agreement has been reached on the ultimate driver(s) of geographic variation in body size (mass and/or length). Here we use skull length measurements (as a surrogate for body mass) from five Australian marsupial species to test the primary hypotheses of geographic variation in body size (relating to ambient temperature, productivity, and seasonality). We used a revised articulation of Bergmann’s rule, wherein evidence for thermoregulation (heat dissipation or heat conservation) is considered supportive of Bergmann’s rule. We modeled the skull lengths of four Petaurid glider species and the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) as a function of indices of ambient temperature, productivity, and seasonality. The skull length of Petaurus ariel, P. notatus, and the squirrel glider (P. norfolcensis), increased with increasing winter minimum temperature, while that of T. vulpecula decreased with increasing summer maximum temperature. The skull length of P. ariel decreased with indices of productivity, falsifying the productivity hypothesis. Only P. ariel met the hypothesis of seasonality, as skull length increased with increasing seasonality. Thermoregulation was the most consistently supported driver of geographic variation in body size, as we found evidence of either heat conservation or heat dissipation in four of the five species examined. We found the geographic range of the individual species and the climate space in which the species occurred was integral to understanding the species’ responses to climate variables. Future studies should use specimens that are representative of a species’ entire geographic range, encompass a variety of climatic regions, and use consistent methodologies and terminology when testing drivers of geographic variation in body size.

International audience; The expedition commanded by the Frenchman Nicolas Thomas Baudin aboard the ships Le Géographe and Le Naturaliste (and Le Casuarina for the return journey) to the southern hemisphere between 1800-1804 collected specimens from numerous locations including the Canary Islands (Tenerife), Île de France (Mauritius), Cape Town (South Africa), Australia and Timor. Additionally, specimens were donated or purchased from locations not visited including the Comoros, Madagascar and Sumatra. Unfortunately, Baudin died at Île de France on the return trip so the responsibility of the account of the voyage was given to other members of the expedition. Responsibility for writing up the primary account of the voyage was granted to François Péron, who published the first volume of the narrative of the Voyage de Découvertes aux Terres Australes in 1807. Following his death in 1810, the second volume of the narrative was completed by Louis de Freycinet and published in 1816. The other four volumes of the Voyage included three atlases (the first by expedition artists Charles-Alexandre Lesueur and Nicolas-Martin Petit in 1807 and the second and third by Freycinet in 1811 and 1812), and a volume entitled Navigation et Géographie by Freycinet in 1815. Based on recent and on-going research, a review of many of the original documents is presented here, revealing hitherto unpublished details about who collected and donated mammals to the expedition. Research was conducted mainly in the collections of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN) in Paris and their associated acquisition books. The Baudin expedition was responsible for an unprecedented collection of over 100 000 specimens of natural history, which remains the single largest collection of natural history specimens from Australia. A total of 101 mammal taxa relating to the Baudin expedition were identified during this study, which included 51 species described as a result of the expedition and 50 species that were described either before or subsequently, but not associated with the expedition. Of the taxa described, 20 species and three subspecies are currently recognised valid. During this study 43 museum specimens that were referable to 29 taxa were identified and at least five specimens seem to have been misplaced based on the information available. These specimens were derived from 24 holotypes, four paratypes, three syntypes, five lectotypes, and six paralectotypes and one topotype that are currently held at the MNHN. Some of these specimens are part of the estimated 51 mammals that were brought back alive to France on the boats. Charles-Alexandre Lesueur's illustrations complemented this study; of the 177 that are held at the Muséum d'Histoire naturelle du Havre, 149 could be attributed to one or more species and 28 were of unidentified species.

Sciurus norfolcensis Kerr, 1792 (Figs 93-95) Sciurus norfolcensis Kerr, 1792: 270. COMMON NAME. — Squirrel Glider. CURRENT NAME. — Petaurus norfolcensis (Kerr, 1792). See Jackson & Groves (2015: 112). COLLECTOR/S. — No data. COLLECTION LOCALITY. — No data. COMMENT. — Probably observed near Port Jackson (Sydney), New South Wales, Australia. COLLECTION DATE. — Between 20 June and 18 November 1802. SPECIMEN NUMBER/S. — No data. ILLUSTRATIONS. — Illustrated by Lesueur – Muséum d’Histoire naturelle du Havre, Inv. no. 80278 (Fig. 93; skull, second from left), Inv. no. 80087 and 80088 (Figs 94; 95; one living animal)., Published as part of Jackson, Stephen M., Jansen, Justin J. F. J., Baglione, Gabrielle & Callou, Cécile, 2021, Mammals collected and illustrated by the Baudin Expedition to Australia and Timor (1800 - 1804): A review of the current taxonomy of specimens in the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle de Paris and the illustrations in the Muséum d'Histoire naturelle du Havre, pp. 387-548 in Zoosystema 43 (21) on page 407, DOI: 10.5252/zoosystema2021v43a21, http://zenodo.org/record/5142972, {"references":["KERR R. 1792. - The Animal Kingdom, or zoological system, of the celebrated Sir Charles Linnaeus; Class 1. Mammalia: containing a complete systematic description, arrangement, and nomenclature, of all the known species and varieties of the Mammalia, or animals which give suck to their young; being a translation of that part of the Systema Naturae, as lately published, with great improvements, by Professor Gmelin of Goettingen. Together with numerous additions from more recent zoological writers, and illustrated with copper plates. J. Murray & R. Faulder, London. Volume 1. https: // www. biodiversitylibrary. org / page / 38664031","JACKSON S. M. & GROVES S. M. 2015. - Taxonomy of Australian Mammals. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, 529 p."]}

The Gymnobelideus leadbeateri (Leadbeater’s Possum) is listed as Critical Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. We assembled the complete mitochondrial genome for the G. leadbeateri and characterized it to provide informative data for forthcoming studies for understanding its evolution and conservation genetics. The G. leadbeateri mitogenome is 16,812 bp long and encodes 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA genes (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA) and 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on complete mitogenome shows that G. leadbeateri is related to Petaurus breviceps (sugar glider) and Dactylopsila trivirgata (striped possum).

Lowland Leadbeater’s possums are on a trajectory to extinction, with fewer than 40 individuals surviving in the wild. Quantification of the vegetation characteristics of their occupied habitat is urgently needed to inform strategies to conserve this genetically distinct population. We surveyed the canopy and midstorey vegetation at all remaining (nine) occupied territories and eleven abandoned territories in lowland swamp forest at the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve. For each territory we quantified canopy and midstorey stem density, basal area (total and live) and vegetation condition (percentage live basal area, tree crown vigour and plant area index) within a 50-m radius of known den locations. The canopy at all locations was dominated by mountain swamp gum (Eucalyptus camphora), with most occupied sites supporting dense midstorey dominated by paperbarks, either Melaleuca squarrosa or Melaleuca ericifolia. Occupied territories had higher stem densities and better vegetation condition than abandoned territories. Stem density alone was able to predict occupancy vis-à-vis abandoned sites with a high (80%) degree of accuracy. Lowland Leadbeater’s possums occupy swamp forests characterised by high stem density, particularly in the midstorey, structural complexity and healthy vegetation. These findings can help guide habitat restoration and translocation projects currently underway to expand the area of lowland habitat for this critically endangered species.

Petaurus leucogaster Mitchell, 1838 nomen nudum Three Exped. Central. Australia, vol. 1, p. xvii. (preface date 18 August 1838). Common name. The “White-bellied flying squirrel” of Mitchell. Current name. An unallocated name, perhaps Petaurus norfolcensis (Kerr, 1792) or possibly Petauroides volans (Kerr, 1792). Type material. Bennett (1837) lists a male, female and young male under species nu. 14 “ Petaurus [blank] The White-bellied Flying Squirrel” collected by “ T. L. Mitchell ” from “Forests near the Murray”. The whereabouts of these specimens remains unknown, not found in the AM. Type locality. “Banks of the Murray River” (Mitchell, 1838), Forests near the Murray (Bennett, 1837) = NSW or Victoria, Australia. Mitchell’s material could have been collected from more than one locality, given that there appear to have been syntypes. Comments. Mitchell (1838) included a line entry for “ Petaurus Leucogaster. Mitch. (New Species). From the banks of the Murray” in his “Systematic List of Animals” that were “deposited in the Australian Museum” but without a description. The number of specimens obtained by Mitchell has previously been overlooked. McKay (1988b) states “probably holotype, AM, not found”. The three specimens listed by Bennett (1837) under his species nu. 14 are the only possum specimens listed as presented by Mitchell other than nu. 18, a possum from “Glenelg River” (Victoria), and are likely to be the original specimens of Mitchell’s “Whitebellied flying squirrel”. Bennett lists “Habitat, Forests near the Murray”, but he used “habitat” to refer to the collecting localities of specimens, as stated at the beginning of his catalogue. Nineteenth and twentieth century authors (e.g., Iredale & Troughton, 1934) synonymized this taxon, often tentatively (e.g., Gray, 1841; Krefft, 1864a), with Petaurus taguanoides Desmarest, 1817b (= Petauroides volans (Kerr, 1792), the Greater Glider). This has been rejected on the basis that Mitchell did not pass through the distribution of Petauroides volans, with Petaurus norfolcensis given preference for the identity of Petaurus leucogaster (McKay 1988b, but as incertae sedis; Jackson & Groves, 2015). However, we note that Mitchell crossed the Murray River downstream (west) from the current city ofAlbury on his third (1836) expedition. Albury is close to the current western distributional boundary of the Greater Glider (see distribution map of Burbidge & Woinarski, 2016) and it is conceivable that the species distribution was more extensive along the riparian corridor of the Murray River at the time of Mitchell’s visit, before extensive European modification from intensive clearing and grazing by stock., Published as part of Parnaby, Harry E., Ingleby, Sandy & Divljan, Anja, 2017, Type Specimens of Non-fossil Mammals in the Australian Museum, Sydney, pp. 277-420 in Records of the Australian Museum 69 (5) on page 403, DOI: 10.3853/j.2201-4349.69.2017.1653, http://zenodo.org/record/5237800, {"references":["Mitchell, T. L. 1838. Three expeditions into the interior of eastern Australia, with descriptions of the recently explored region of Australia Felix, and of the present colony of New South Wales. London: T. & W. Boone. 2 volumes.","Kerr, R. 1792. The Animal Kingdom, or zoological system, of the celebrated Sir Charles Linnaeus; Class 1. Mammalia: containing a complete systematic description, arrangement, and nomenclature, of all the known species and varieties of the Mammalia, or animals which give suck to their young; being a translation of that part of the Systema Naturae, as lately published with great improvements, by Professor Gmelin of Goettingen. Together with numerous additions from more recent zoological writers, and illustrated with copper plates. Vol. 1, part 1. London: J. Murray & R. Faulder. xl + 400 pp., 9 pl.","Bennett, G. 1837. Catalogue of the Specimens of Natural History and Miscellaneous Curiosities Deposited in the Australian Museum. Sydney: James Tegg and Co. 71 pp.","McKay, G. M. 1988 b. Petauridae. In Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 5. Mammalia, ed. D. W. Walton, pp. 87 - 97. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.","Gray, J. E. 1841. Contributions towards the geographical distribution of the Mammalia of Australia, with notes on some recently discovered species, in a letter addressed to the Author. Appendix C. In Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-west and Western Australia, During the Years 1837, 38, and 39, Under the Authority of Her Majesty's Government. Describing many newly discovered, important, and fertile districts, with observations on the moral and physical condition of the aboriginal inhabitants, & c., ed. G. Grey, pp. 397 - 414. London: T. & W. Boone. Vol. 2.","Krefft, G. 1864 a. Catalogue of Mammalia in the collection of the Australian Museum. Australian Museum Catalogue No. 2. Sydney: Trustees of the Australian Museum. 2 + 134 + 2 pp.","Desmarest, A. G. 1817 b. Petauriste. In Nouveau Dictionnaire d'Histoire naturelle, appliquee aux arts, a l'agriculture, a l' economie rurale et domestique, a la medecine, etc. Par une societe de natualistes et d ' agriculteurs. Nouvelle Edition presqu'entierement refondue et considerablement augmentee. Volume 25, ed. C. S. Sonnini, pp. 398 - 406. Paris: Deterville."]}

Parnaby, Harry E., Ingleby, Sandy, Divljan, Anja (2017): Type Specimens of Non-fossil Mammals in the Australian Museum, Sydney. Records of the Australian Museum 69 (5): 277-420, DOI: 10.3853/j.2201-4349.69.2017.1653, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3853/j.2201-4349.69.2017.1653

Petaurus kohlsi Troughton, 1945 Rec. Aust. Mus. 21(6): 373. (25 June 1945). Common name. Biak Glider. Current name. Petaurus biacensis Ulmer, 1940; following Groves (2005d). Taxonomic status unclear. Although kohlsi is considered a junior synonym of P. biacensis by most authors, the status of the latter species and populations currently assigned to P. breviceps, require a detailed taxonomic revision (Helgen, 2007; Jackson, 2015). Holotype. M.6998 by original designation. Female adult, [Field no. Owi Is. No. 11], skull, study skin, collected by Lt.-Col. C. B. Philip and Major G. M. Kohls, collection date not given, registered 26 September 1944. Condition. Cranium missing section of right zygomatic arch, left zygomatic arch detached, missing upper 2nd post-canine teeth. Both dentaries complete. Study skin complete. Type locality. Owi Island, Schouten Island Group, Cenderawasih (formerly Geelvink) Bay, Papua Province, Indonesia. Comments. Apparently based on a single specimen. The holotype is a female with a developed pouch, although Troughton variously refers to the holotype as male and female in his original description. Photographs of the holotype skull are given by Flannery (1995c)., Published as part of Parnaby, Harry E., Ingleby, Sandy & Divljan, Anja, 2017, Type Specimens of Non-fossil Mammals in the Australian Museum, Sydney, pp. 277-420 in Records of the Australian Museum 69 (5) on page 322, DOI: 10.3853/j.2201-4349.69.2017.1653, http://zenodo.org/record/5237800, {"references":["Troughton, E. L. G. 1945. Diagnoses of new mammals from the South-West Pacific. Records of the Australian Museum 21 (6): 373 - 376. https: // doi. org / 10.3853 / j. 0067 - 1975.21.1945.551","Ulmer, F. A. 1940. Zoological results of the Denison-Crockett South Pacific Expedition for the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1937 - 8. Part 8 - a new race of the New Guinea short-headed flying phalanger from Biak Island. Notulae Naturae, Philadelphia 52: 1 - 3.","Groves, C. P. 2005 d. Order Diprotodontia. In Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, ed. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder, pp. 43 - 70. Baltimore, USA: The Johns Hopkins University Press.","Helgen, K. M. 2007. A taxonomic and geographic overview of the mammals of Papua. In The Ecology of Papua, ed. A. J. Marshall and B. M. Beehler, Ecology of Indonesia Series, Vol. VI, Part 1 pp. 689 - 749. Singapore: Periplus Editions.","Flannery, T. 1995 c. Mammals of the South-West Pacific and Moluccan Islands. Chatswood, New South Wales: Australian Museum / Reed Books. 464 pp."]}

Two cases of renal klossiellosis were diagnosed by histopathology in pet sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps). In both cases, parasites were associated with tubular dilation and mild interstitial nephritis. Rare schizonts were seen in the proximal convoluted renal tubular epithelium, whereas all other life cycle stages were found within distal convoluted tubule cells or the urinary space of the structures distal to the loop of Henle. Conventional optical and transmission electron microscopies were used to assess the life stages of the parasite. The morphologic characteristics and measurements observed differ from those of previously described species of Klossiella infecting marsupial hosts, and the name Klossiella dulcis n. sp. is hereby proposed. This is the first report of a Klossiella sp. infection in Petaurus breviceps.

Third-stage larvae of Ophidascarsis robertsi (Nematoda: Ascaridoidea) were found on necropsy in a female sugar glider, Petaurus breviceps (Marsupialia: Petauridae), two in heart chambers and one free in the peritoneal cavity. The animal was bred in captivity and had previous contact with Australian pythons captured in nature, which could be the source of the infection. The histopathologic diagnosis was intraluminal and perivascular pulmonary hemorrhage possibly due to the parasitosis. It is the first report of parasitism by O. robertsi in a sugar glider.

Denning groups (colonies) of Leadbeater's possum Gymnobelideus leadbeateri inhabiting nest boxes in lowland swamp forest were characterized by the presence of only a single breeding pair. The percentage of adult females and males in the population that held the position of ‘resident breeding individual’ within their colony was 66±12 and 62±13%, respectively. The remaining animals were mainly younger adults yet to acquire breeding positions within established colonies. Male and female Leadbeater's possums that attain breeding status within a colony usually reproduced for more than 3 years. Breeding vacancies that arose following the death of an individual were quickly filled by immigrants from neighbouring colonies. Typically, both male and female possums did not commence breeding until they were more than 2 years of age and had dispersed from their natal colony to a neighbouring group. Births were recorded in every month, with no discernible peaks in reproductive activity. This is the first reported case of aseasonal reproduction by a small petaurid species in temperate Australia. The mean litter size was 1.55, and females typically produced two litters per year. The reproductive ecology of Leadbeater's possum differs from that of other small (

5. Torresian Striped Possum Dactylopsila trivirgata French: Triok rayé / German: Gro3er Streifenbeutler / Spanish: Falangero rayado de Torres Other common names: Common Striped Possum, Striped Possum Taxonomy. Dactylopsila trivirgata Gray, 1858 , Aru Islands, Indonesia. Four subspecies are recognized. Subspecies and Distribution. D. t. trwvirgata Gray, 1858 — West Papuan Is (Waigeo), W New Guinea, including Yapen I in Cenderawasih (= Geelvink) Bay, and Aru Is. D. t. katau: Matschie, 1916 — C & S New Guinea near the Fly River. D. t. melampus Thomas, 1908 — E Papua New Guinea. D. t. picata Thomas, 1908 — NE Queensland from Iron Range to Mt Spec (in Paluma Range N of Townsville), NE Australia. Descriptive notes. Head—body 24-28 cm, tail 32-39 cm; weight 428-545 g (males) and 310-475 g (females). This species can be distinguished from the Great-tailed Striped Possum (D. megalura) by its much less furred tail, from the Long-fingered Striped Possum (D. palpator) by having a shorter fourth digit of forelimb, and from Tate’s Striped Possum (D. tater) by its much longertail. Habitat. In New Guinea, generally occurs in lowland and lower montane forests. In Australia, subspecies picata inhabits tropical rainforest and adjacent woodland. Food and Feeding. One of this possum’s primary food items is wood-boring beetle larvae. It uses the powerful lower and upper incisors to gouge and lever away bark and wood; when a cavity is opened, it employs its elongated fourth digit to stab the larva and pull it out. Other food items include social insects (such as ants and termites, crickets, beetles, moths, and cockroaches), hemipteran insects (including cicadas and spiders), fruit, exudates (including Acacia sap and nectar), and potentially pollen. Breeding. Limited data suggest that this species breeds throughout the year, but there may be a peak (in Australian populations) between March and June. Female produces one or two young at a time. In New Guinea, a female with young was found in January, two were found in October, and a female carrying a young male on her back was found in September. Activity patterns. Nocturnal. During the day the animals sleep in leafy nests in tree hollows or occasionally in clumped epiphytes. Limited observations of dens found these to be in vine forest, in trees with diameter at breast height greater than 30 cm. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Little information is available on the home range of the Torresian Striped Possum, being limited to that of a smaller male (weighing 290 g) that had a home range of c. 5-2-6-5 ha and a larger male (weighing 415 g) that had a home range of about 21-3 ha. This species makes frequent guttural, two-syllable calls (“gar-gair, gar-gair”); when caught by a predator,it emits a very loud distress call, and other individuals rapidly approach the sound, which suggests a type of mobbing behavior. Individuals have been found denning alone or with young in trees throughout the home range. Pairs have been observed also to share dens, suggesting some degree of sociality. In addition, they appear to rotate the use of dens frequently, perhaps to reduce predation by amethystine pythons (Morelia amethistina) and potentially owls. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. This species has a wide distribution, with a presumed large population, and occurs within several protected areas; it is to some degree fairly tolerant of habitat modification. It is abundant in suitable habitat in New Guinea;in its limited Australian range, it is common in the lowlands and uncommon at higher elevations. Within New Guinea, the main threat to this petaurid is deforestation associated with subsistence agriculture;it is also hunted for food, butthis is not considered a major threat. There are no serious threats to its survival in Australia. Overall, the Torresian Striped Possum is unlikely to be declining at a rate even approaching that required forit to be considered threatened. Bibliography. Flannery (1994a, 1995a), Handasyde (2000, 2008), Handasyde & Martin (1996), Hide et al. (1984), Rawlins & Handasyde (2002), Salas, Dickman, Helgen, Burnett & Martin (2008), Smith, A.P (1982a), Van Dyck (1979b)., Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Petauridae, pp. 52-565 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 560, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6656820

10. Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps French: Possum a sucre / German: Kurzkopf-Gleithérnchenbeutler / Spanish: Falangero planeador del azucar Other common names: Lesser Flying Phalanger, Lesser Flying Squirrel, Lesser Glider, Short-headed Flying Phalanger, Sugar Squirrel, Tasmanian Sugar Glider (Tasmania) Taxonomy. Petaurus (Belideus) breviceps Waterhouse, 1839, New South Wales, Australia. Within this species as presently constituted, molecular studies have discovered two divergent mtDNA clades the distribution of which does notin the least correspond to morphologically described taxa. Further, the distinctiveness of the Tasmanian population needs to be assessed to confirm whether it was introduced into Tasmania, as is generally accepted, or occurred there naturally. Taxonomic work is required in order to determine species limits, as P. breviceps, given its broad distribution, may in fact represent a species complex. Four subspecies recognized. Subspecies and Distribution. P. b. breviceps Waterhouse, 1839 — E mainland Australia in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, extending into SE South Australia; also Tasmania (where may be introduced). P. b. ariel Gould, 1842 — N Western Australia through N Northern Territory, including Tiwi Is and Groote Eylandt. Pb. longicaudatus Longman, 1924 — N & E Queensland, including Normanby I (off Russell River, S of Cairns). P. b. papuanus Thomas, 1888 — Moluccas (Halmahera, Ternate I, Bacan Is, Gebe I, Kai Besar I); and New Guinea, including West Papuan Is (Misool, Salawati), Adi I (off S Bomberai = Fakfak Peninsula), islands in Cenderawasih (= Geelvink) Bay (Yapen, Numfoor), islands off N coast (Bagabag, Bam, Blup Blup, Kadovar, Karkar, Koil, Vokeo, Wei), Bismarck Archipelago (New Britain, Duke of York), and islands off SE peninsula (Fergusson, Goodenough, Sudest, Woodlark, Misima, Normanby). Descriptive notes. Head-body 16-21 cm, tail 16.5-21 cm; weight 68-160 g (males) and 60-135 g (females). This species is highly variable in size and color throughout its range. In Australia it conforms to Bergmann’s Rule: animals from more tropical regions are smaller in size than those from temperate regions. Ventral fur varies from pale creamy to medium gray and may be tinged with yellow, but is never pure white or creamy white, as base of fur is gray. Tail is furred evenly, dusky gray, darkening to black distally. Northern subspecies are smaller and have shorter fur than the nominate subspecies. One of the smallest species of Petaurus, it is usually recognized by its small size and often its white tail tip (which ¢.20-50% of individuals possess). It can be hard to distinguish from the Squirrel Glider (P. norfolcensis), but is typically identified byits smaller body size, shorter blunter face, shorter and more oval ears, less bushy tail at base, gray base of ventral fur, and frequently white tip of tail. Habitat. In New Guinea this glider inhabits most forest types, from floodplain-forest to savanna woodland and to lower montane forest, and even secondary regrowth in disused garden areas; absent from highest montane areas. Habitat preferences in Australia are broad and include rainforests, moist eucalypt forests, dry eucalypt forests, and woodlands; some authors suggest that optimum habitat is tall open eucalypt forest or woodland. The species’ occurrence is often associated with various species of Acacia (Fabaceae) and Banksia (Proteaceae). Found from sea level to 3000 m elevation. The Sugar Glider is sympatric with nearly all other Petaurus species, in Australia including the Yellow-bellied Glider (P. australis), the Mahogany Glider (P. gracilis), and the Squirrel Glider, and in New Guinea the Northern Glider (P. abidi) in North Coastal Ranges. Food and Feeding. Observations of this species’ foraging in New Guinea suggest that its diet includes the fruits of figs (Ficus, Moraceae) and pitpit (Saccharum, Poaceae), and beetle larvae. In Australia, diet is known to consist of plant exudates, including wattle gum from Acacia, Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) sap, and Eucalyptus and Banksia nectar and pollen. Invertebrate food items include insects such as beetles, moths, and weevils, and arachnids such as spiders. Research on the nitrogen requirements of free-living adult Sugar Gliders suggests that males can satisfy these requirements on a diet of plant exudates, including saps, gums, and nectar, but females may need to harvest pollen and/or insects to meet additional requirements of reproduction. As with Squirrel Gliders, there are records of Sugar Gliders eating vertebrates, including preying upon swift parrots (Lathamus discolor) in Tasmania by killing the incubating females in tree hollows, and also eating chicks and eggs. Breeding. Northern Australian populations appear not to have a clear breeding season, though there is a peak in the late dry—early wet season; southern populations evidently have a single breeding season, beginning in winter or early spring each year. The litter size is one or two, with an average of 1:6-1-8, and females are able to reproduce more than once per year. The young remain in the pouch for ¢.70 days, at which time they are deposited in a group nest for a further 40-50 days; when they are 110-120 days old they begin to forage for themselves in the company of the mother. At approximately 7-10 months of age the young are typically displaced from their maternal group and will travel large distances, even across open pasture, to reach isolated habitat. The mating system is generally polygynous. The gliders nest in leaflined hollows of trees, in nesting communities that consist of up to six adult males and females and their young; one or two dominant males (usually older individuals) maintain the territory against other groups. Density estimates range from 0-23 ind/ ha to 6-1 ind/ha. Male parental care has been reported for Sugar Gliders living in captivity, but few details are available. A study of wild individuals that were using a nestbox reported that an adult male remained in the box for several hours while the female was away from the box; petaurids are unable to maintain a stable body temperature until 100 days of age, which could restrict the mother to short bouts of foraging, and the male’s remaining in the box presumably gave the mother more time to forage. It is possible that individuals other than the adult male, including siblings, provide care by huddling with the young to maintain body temperature. Direct male care of offspring may be widespread within the petaurid marsupials, but requires further study. Activity patterns. Like the other petaurid gliders, this species is typically nocturnal, but animals in poor condition have been seen foraging during the day. On cold and rainy nights activity can be substantially reduced, and to minimize energy loss during adverse weather Sugar Gliders can employ daily torpor regularly. Torpor bouts last between two and 23 hours (average 13 hours), during which time the body temperature falls to a minimum of 10-4°C. The gliders emerge from their dens c.17 minutes after dusk and spend ¢.82% of the night in foraging, during which they travel some 460-544 m. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Home ranges are typically between 0-5 ha and 4-7 ha in size. Sugar Gliders live in social groups of up to seven adults and their young of the current season, sharing a nest in the hollow of a eucalypt tree. They show little social interaction when not in the nest. The sex ratio of these groups in the wild is generally female-biased, and all females in the group breed; a polygynous mating system has been proposed. Sugar Gliders utilize several calls, including a shrill yapping that warns other individuals of danger, a sharp threatening scream that can occasionally be heard when they fight, and a gurgling chatter when handled or disturbed in the nest. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. This species has the widest distribution of any of the marsupial gliders, indeed of any marsupial in the Australasian region. In addition, it has a large population size, occurs in a number of protected areas, and is tolerant of a broad range of habitats, including degraded ones. Its population numbers are probably stable. Within ideal habitat it can be locally common, with 6 ind/ha recorded, but in other areas (such as northern Australia) it has been recorded at much lower densities of less than one animal per hectare. In South Australia it is known only from the south-east, and two records near Adelaide; it is considered rare in that State. In Tasmania, where it is widespread,it is thought to have been introduced. There are no major threats facing this petaurid, although, as with many other species, it is susceptible to bushfires and to habitat clearance for expanding agriculture. Bibliography. Carthew (2004), Flannery (1994a, 1995a, 1995b), Goldingay (1984, 2010), Helgen (2007a), Henry (1985), Henry & Suckling (1984), Holloway & Geiser (2000), Howard (1989), Jackson (1994, 2000c, 2003b), KlettenheimerSalamon (2000), Klettenheimer et al. (1997), Kértner & Geiser (2000b), Lindenmayer et al. (1991), Malekian, Cooper & Carthew (2010), Quin (1995), Quin, Smith & Green (2004), Quin, Smith, Green & Hines (1992), Quin, Smith & Norton (1996), Sadler & Ward (1999), Salas, Dickman, Helgen, Winter et al. (2008), Smith, A.P & Green (1987), Smith, M.J. (1973), Suckling (1984, 2008)., Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Petauridae, pp. 52-565 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 562-563, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6656820

11. Mahogany Glider Petaurus gracilis French: Possum a queue fine / German: Mahagoni-Gleithornchenbeutler / Spanish: Falangero planeador gracil Other common names: Ebony Glider, Slendertailed Glider Taxonomy. Belideus gracilis De Vis, 1883, Cardwell region, Queensland, Australia. Historically this species was considered to be a subspecies or synonym of P. nor folcensis. Following its rediscovery in 1989, after an absence of sightings since 1886, its taxonomy was reviewed, and it was recognized as a distinct species in 1993. Monotypic. Distribution. Coastal region of NE Queensland from Hull River near Tully S to Ollera Creek, ¢.40 km S of Ingham, NE Australia. Descriptive notes. Head-body 22-27 cm, tail 30-39 cm; weight 337-500 g (males) and 310-454 ¢ (females). This glider is distinctive for its large size, long, relatively short-haired tail, and buff to mahogany-brown belly. It is easily distinguished from the smaller Squirrel Glider, which occurs nearby (but with no apparent range overlap), and from Sugar Glider (P. breviceps), which occurs within its distribution, by its much larger size and greater body weight. Habitat. Found in open woodland composed of a diversity of myrtaceous and fabaceous trees, including Eucalyptus, Lophostemon, Melaleuca, Corymbia, Acacia, and Albizia. Trapping observations have revealed that its presence is correlated with that of Clarkson’s bloodwood (Corymbia clarksoniana), poplar gum (Eucalyptus platyphylla), and open habitat with a small middle-canopy and upper-canopy cover. Food and Feeding. The diet consists primarily of nectar and pollen from trees such a Eucalyptus, Corymbia, and Melaleuca, and insects. Sap from Albizia procera, Acacia mangum, Acacia crassicarpa, and Acacia flavescens is also consumed, as are arils (seed-coverings) from the aforementioned acacias and from A. flavescens, and mistletoe fruit from Amyema and Dendrophthoe (both Loranthaceae). This glider relies on the seasonal cycles of flowering and fruiting to provide different foods throughout year. One study revealed that pollen constituted at least 30% by volume of the contents in six of eight fecal and intestinal samples examined; the study revealed that Myrtaceae and Xanthorrhoea (Xanthorrhoeaceae) are the most frequently visited flowers, but significant occurrences of Banksia (Proteaceae) pollen suggest that it, too, may also be used. Breeding. Has a distinct breeding season between April and September/October. Litter size ranges from one to two, with an average of 1-5 young. Uses tree hollows as dens for sleeping and rearing young. First breeding occurs at ¢.12-18 months and young are weaned after 4-5 months. Activity patterns. Nocturnal. During the day this species dens in leaf-lined hollows of various tree species, including Eucalyptus platyphylla, E. tereticornis, Corymbia clarksoniana, C. intermedia, Melaleuca viridiflora, and M. dealbata; females have an average offive dens and males an average ofsix. Studies of Mahogany Gliders have revealed that the amount of time spent active each night throughout the year ranged from eight to 10-1 hours, and did not change significantly between the wet and dry seasons. During the night they normally have one continuous period of activity; they occasionally return to the dens during the night for an average of 85 minutes, mean entrance and exit times being 22:59 h and 00:25 h, respectively. Foraging (feeding and traveling) accounts for greatest amount of time, ranging from 40% of the time outside the den in January to 77% in September. Overall mean time spent in foraging was 61%, remainder of night being spent stationary (mean 24-3%), grooming (mean 11-:8%), in the den and then re-emerging (mean 2:5%), or vocalizing (mean 0-3%). Activity comprised mostly the behaviors associated with foraging, feeding (44:9%), climbing (13-2%), and gliding (3%). Throughout the night individuals traverse an average distance of 1506 m (range 590-3420 m), with no significant difference between males and females in either continuous or fragmented habitat. They do, however, travel longer distances during late dry season/wet season and shorter distances during early to middle dry season. Similarly, individuals travelled farther when there was a high availability of nectar and pollen than when there was less to feed upon. Movements, Home range and Social organization. The average home range size within continuous habitat is ¢.20 ha, overlap between home ranges of den mates being typically 86%, compared with overlap of only 11% with non-paired individuals, suggesting that this species forms socially monogamous pairs. These gliders have an average density of 0-24 ind/ha in continuous habitat and 0-16 ind/ha in fragmented habitat. Within the home ranges each pair has 6-13 dens, all typically in live trees of the family Myrtaceae, of which Eucalyptus platyphylla, E. tereticornis, and Corymbia clarksoniana are the most often utilized. The height of the dens from the ground ranges from 6-6 m to 33-3 m. A majority of den entrances face either west or south; given that the poor weather comes from the east to north-east, a south-facing or west-facing entrance may reduce the risk of rain entering the den. Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. This species is considered at risk because more than 50% of its habitat has been cleared and there is high likelihood of further clearing. It has one of the smallest distributions of any mammal, occurring only in the narrow, highly fragmented band of vegetation in north-east Queensland from the Hull River south to Ollera Creek, an area with a total north-tosouth distance of only 122 km and a width ofjust 5-10 km. The surrounding areas are occupied by the Squirrel Glider, which is known to occur within 26 km to the south, west, and north-west; in extensive rainforest to the north, neither species appears to occur. Within Mahogany Glider’s naturally limited distribution only a small amount of habitatis protected within national parks. A population viability analysis has proposed that populations of 400-700 individuals (2000-3500 ha) showed a decreasing trend in population size over a 100year period, suggesting that they are likely eventually to become extinct. A population of 800 individuals (4000 ha) was thought necessary for the size to stabilize; as only ¢.50% of available habitat appears to be occupied, an area of up to 8000 ha may be required in order to maintain a population of 800 individuals. Habitat loss and degradation are probably the most serious threats to this species. Forests are being cleared for sugar cane, bananas, pineapples, improved pasture, pine trees, and aquaculture, dramatically reducing habitat quantity and quality. Altered fire regimes and intensive grazing threaten the structure and ecological integrity of remaining habitat fragments through rainforest expansion, sclerophyll thickening, and weed invasion. The widening of major roads can also cause major disruption of the species’ movements. Further, the gliding membranes of gliders can become entangled on barb-wire fences, resulting in fatalities. Conservation actions from the recovery plan for this species include: (1) the updating of habitat-mapping and identifying areas for protection, restoration, and management; (2) identifying, managing, and monitoring habitats threatened by encroaching rainforest; (3) developing strategies to conserve Mahogany Glider habitat on private lands; (4) implementing habitat-recovery burns at key sites and improving weed control; (5) reducing threats arising from transport and easement corridors; (6) promoting a “Mahogany Glider-friendly” fencing scheme; (7) determining the genetic structure of Mahogany Glider populations; and (8) increasing public awareness and involvement in the recovery of the species. Bibliography. Asari et al. (2010), Burnett et al. (2008), Dettmann et al. (1995), Flannery (1994a), Jackson (1999, 2000b, 2000c, 2000d, 2000e, 2001, 2008, 2011), Jackson & Claridge (1999), Jackson & Johnson (2002), Jackson & Thorington (2012), Jackson et al. (2011), Van Dyck (1993)., Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Petauridae, pp. 52-565 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 563-564, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6656820

Family PETAURIDAE (STRIPED POSSUMS, LEADBEATER’S POSSUM AND LESSER GLIDERS) • Medium-sized arboreal marsupials with strong facial markings and one or more distinct dorsal stripes. • 30-80 cm. • Australasian Region. • Montane forest, lowland forest, and sclerophyll forest and woodland, some species in rainforest. • 3 genera, 12 species, 18 taxa. • | species Critically Endangered, 3 species Endangered; no species Extinct since 1600., Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Petauridae, pp. 52-565 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 52, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6656820

7. Northern Glider Petaurus abidi Food and Feeding. The diet ofthis glider consists primarily of insects, arthropods, and exudates, including sap from trees, lerps, manna, honeydew, and nectar and pollen, the proportion of each varying among different locations. Insects are often caught while the glideris foraging through peeling bark. When sap-feeding,it uses its lower incisors to gouge into a Eucalyptus, Corymbia (both Myrtaceae), or sometimes Acacia (Fabaceae) tree (referred to as sap-site trees), after which the sap can continue to flow and be eaten by the gliders for several decades. The incisions made form a V-shape that is typically c¢.12 cm long and has an angle of approximately 100°; they are cut through the outer bark, inner bark, and cambium layers of the trunk and form a neat channel typically 5-10 mm wide and 4-10 mm deep,just touching the sapwood, which is not incised. The incised trees typically have a minimum diameter at breast height greater than 40 cm. Some tree species extensively used at one location may be completely ignored at another. Tree sap is particularly important at extremes of the range, including north Queensland and western Victoria, as it accounts for more than 80% of the diet. In other parts of the glider’s distribution sap constitutes ¢.30% of the diet. Typically, only one or two species of tree are used at a particularsite, even though five or six may be available, and fewer than 1% of possible trees are incised for sap at any one location. Individuals also use fewer than ten trees of a particular species and on average use only two trees at a time, of which they choose a single one and feed on sap for the whole night. In north Queensland, only one tree species, the red mahogany (Eucalyptus resinifera), is used. Variation in sap flow appears to occur independently of rainfall or microhabitat where the tree is located. Experimental incising oftrees, designed to mimic the effects of feeding by gliders, have failed to show any effect on sap flow, which suggests that the incidence of sap-feeding is determined by a tree’s pattern of sap flow, and that there may be trees with unusual patterns of sap flow that the gliders select as the most favorable trees to incise. Nectar and pollen are also very important to Yellow-bellied Gliders, particularly in southern New South Wales, where gliders may visit a single flowering tree (possibly all night). The availability of nectar and pollen varies temporally and, at times when few flowering trees are present,gliders may choose trees with fewer flowers than at times when flowering trees are abundant. At other times, when flowering trees are superabundant or scarce, there may be no relationship between the number of flowers in a tree and the duration ofvisits by gliders. In one study, at intermediate levels of abundance, the amount of time that a glider spent in a tree was related to the number of flowers in a tree. French: Possum de Ziegler / German: Nordlicher Gleithdrchenbeutler / Spanish: Falangero planeador septentrional Taxonomy. Petaurus abidi Ziegler, 1981, “Papua New Guinea, West Sepik Province, Mount Somoro (also spelled Somero; approximate coordinates 3°25’S, 142°05°E), about 1220 m, approximately 9-7 km ENE Lumi (Patrol Post).” This species is monotypic. Distribution. Mt Somoro and adjacent areas in Torricelli Mts, NW Papua New Guinea. Descriptive notes. Head—body 25-28 cm,tail 35-38 cm; weight 228-332 g. This species can be readily distinguished from the New Guinean Sugar Glider (P. breviceps), which occurs in same area, by its much greater size and predominantly black tail. It differs from the three Australian gliders in its very long, thickly furred, yet not bushytail. Its dorsal fur is pale gray, washed with yellowish brown, especially toward midline of back and on rump. Habitat. Occurs in primary, mid-montane tropical moist forests, and in rural gar dens close to forest. Found at elevations above 300 m, but thoughtto be rare below 800 m; most are recorded between 800 m and 1200 m. Food and Feeding. Not much is known of the diet. Specimens have been collected while they were feeding on figs (Ficus, Moraceae), and captive animals have thrived on guavas, bananas, and Syzygium (Myrtaceae) fruit. Breeding. Little is known about the reproduction of the Northern Glider. A lactating female was collected in March; another female was carrying a pouch young that was just acquiring fur on the head and weighed 6-5 g. Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species. Movements, Home range and Social organization. The ecology of this petaurid has not been studied well to date, but some anecdotal observations exist. Three adult males and two adult females were found in a hollow, which had been enlarged by chewing, in an isolated senescent tree (known locally as “diri”). Captive individuals have been heard to make a series of loud growls and shrieks. Status and Conservation. Classified as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red Last. This New Guinean species is known only from Mount Somoro and nearby areas in the Torricelli Mountains. Its extent of occurrence is limited, covering less than 100 km?, and because all individuals are in a single location, because the extent and quality of its habitat are continuing to decline owing to heavy deforestation and conversion to gardens, and because it is hunted for food, it is considered to be at the highest risk. Only seven animals have been captured in the last 20 years. In the future the Northern Glider may be found to occur in the poorly surveyed North Coastal Ranges of Papua, which comprise a section of mountain range c.100 km in length and a few tens of kilometers wide, from at least Fas 2 Village (to the east of Mount Menawa) in the west to Mount Sapua in the east. For the present, however,it is essential that it be afforded protection in conservation areas. Bibliography. Flannery (1994a), Leary, Wright, Hamilton, Singadan, Menzies, Bonaccorso, Salas et al. (2008a), Ziegler (1981)., Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Petauridae, pp. 52-565 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 561, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6656820

2. Great-tailed Striped Possum Dactylopsila megalura French: Triok a grande queue / German: Blrstenschwanz-Streifenbeutler / Spanish: Falangero rayado de cola grande Other common names: Great-tailed Triok Taxonomy. Dactylopsila megalura Rothschild & Dollman, 1932, “ The Gebroeders [Mountains], Weyland Range, Dutch New Guinea.” This species is monotypic. Diswitadon. Weyland Mts, and in Snow (= Surdiman) and Star (= Jayawijaya) Mts, in W & C New Guinea Central Range. Descriptive notes. Head-body 20-24 cm, tail 28-29 cm; no information on weight. The few specimens available suggest that females may be smaller than males. This species is distinguished from all other striped possums by the enormous bushy tail, which is much larger than that of all other species in the genus. Habitat. Primary montane forest, at elevations between 1000 m and 2300 m. Food and Feeding. Diet appears to consist of large tunneling insect larvae that occur within dead and dying wooden logs. Breeding. There is no information available for this species. Activity patterns. This is a strictly arboreal species. Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Very few specimensofthis species have been recorded to date. Two female co-types were collect ed from Weyland Mountains, and a male was collected from Feramin, near Telefomin. It has a wide distribution, and it is expected to occur in the montane areas between the localities that form the extremes ofits range. When first collected, it was described as being very rare and was found only in the high mountains; only ten individuals were encountered in 600 hours of work at one locality. The Great-tailed Striped Possum’s habitat appears to be largely intact throughout the montane regions. This species is occasionally hunted by local people for food, as well as for its pelt (sometimes used as part of a headdress). It is not easily encountered, however, and hunting is considered not to be a major threat to this species. It has been recorded from Mekil Wildlife Management Area, in the east ofits range. Bibliography. Flannery (1994a, 1995a), Leary, Wright, Hamilton, Singadan, Menzies, Bonaccorso, Helgen, Seri, Allison, Salas & Dickman (2008a), Menzies & Singadan (2005), Rothschild & Dollman (1933a)., Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Petauridae, pp. 52-565 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 50, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6656820

1. Arfak Striped Possum Dactylopsila kambuayai French: Triok des Arfak / German: Arfak-Streifenbeutler / Spanish: Falangero rayado de las Arfak Other common names: \ogelkop Ring-tailed Possum, Vogelkop Striped Possum Taxonomy. Dactylopsila kambuayai Apliin Aplin et al, 1999, “ Kria Cave, 3 km east of the village Suwiam/Mapura, northeast of the Ayamaru Lakes, Ayamaru Plateau, central Bird’s Head [= Vogelkop], Irian Jaya, Indonesia.” Type specimen was collected from Holocene deposits from the Bird's Head Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia. Probably most closely related to D. palpator. Monotypic. Distribution. Arfak Mts in Bird's Head Peninsula, W New Guinea. Descriptive notes. There is no specific information on measurements and weight, nor on pelage, but all striped possums have distinctive black and white stripes extending from tip of nose down back to rump. It resembles the Long-fingered Striped Possum (D. palpator) in having extreme elongation of fourth digit of manus, but it has a smaller body size and differs from that species in many details, including greatly foreshortened rostrum and proportionally smaller cheekteeth. Habitat. Modern specimens collected in montane forest at elevation of 867 m. Studies by K. Aplin and K. Helgen suggest that, although this species and the Long-fingered Striped Possum are each other’s closest relatives, they are likely to be altitudinally segregated in Arfak Mountains. They suggest that the Arfak Striped Possum shares the lower-elevation montane forests with the Torresian Striped Possum (D. trivirgata), while the Long-fingered Striped Possum occurs in the higher-elevation cloudforest. Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but it is thought to feed primarily on wood-boring insects, as do other species ofstriped possum. Breeding. There is no information available for this species. Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species. Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species. Status and Conservation. This taxon has not yet been assessed on The IUCN Red List. It is virtually unknown, with extremely few records. Modern specimens, including an adult female and an associated well-furred immature female, were collected at Nenei, in the Arfak Mountains. Bibliography. Aplin et al. (1999)., Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Petauridae, pp. 52-565 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 50, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6656820

6. Leadbeater’s Possum Gymnobelideus leadbeateri French: Triok de Leadbeater / German: Hornchenbeutler / Spanish: Falangero de Leadbeater Other common names: Fairy Possum Taxonomy. Gymmnobelideus leadbeateri McCoy, 1867, Bass River, Victoria, Australia. This species is monotypic. Distribution. C Victoria, SE Australia. Descriptive notes. Head-body 15-17 cm, tail 15-18 cm; weight 100-170 g. General appearance is gray to grayish brown above, with prominent dark mid-dorsal strip; ventral surface is a pale cream color. Tail is club-shaped, broader near tip than at base. Habitat. In the Central Highlands this species occurs at up to 1200 m in forests dominated by myrtle family trees such as mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans), shining gum (E. mitens), alpine ash (FE. delegatensis), snow gum (E. pauciflora), and mountain swamp gum (FE. camphora); within these montane ash forests the optimal habitat (containing 1-3-3 ind/ha) is in regrowth 15-50 years old and having a dense understory of acacias and an overstory of more than four large trees (with diameter at breast height greater than 1 m) per hectare. Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve includes three linear sections of riparian forest totaling 640 ha, with three main forest types: open forest dominated by messmate (FE. obliqgua), green scentbark (FE. fulgens), and narrow-leafed peppermint (LE. radiata) on dry, well-drained slopes near reserve periphery; and two distinct riparian vegetation types, one being manna gum (E. viminalis) forest with understory of blackwoods (Acacia melanoxylon, Fabaceae), and the other mountain swamp gums with, in places, a dense middle story of myrtle family trees such as woolly teatree (Leptospermum lanigerum), manuka (L. scoparium), prickly tea-tree (L. continentale), swamp paperbark (Melaleuca ericifolia), or scented paperbark (M. squarrosa). Food and Feeding. Approximately 20% of the diet of Leadbeater’s Possums comprises invertebrates that are foraged from underneath the shredding bark of eucalypts. The possums eat adult and larval beetles (Coleoptera), flies (Diptera), leathoppers (Hemiptera), ants (Hymenoptera), adult and larval moths (Lepidoptera), tree-crickets (Orthoptera), thrips (Thysanoptera), spiders (Araneomorpha), and pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpionida). The remaining 80% of the diet comes from exudates, including those licked from tree trunks ofsilver wattle (Acacia dealbata) and mountain hickory wattle (A. obligua), and also honeydew (sugary waste excreted by insects) and manna from eucalypts. Breeding. The estrous cycle is thought to be slightly shorter than 30 days and the gestation period is 15-17 days. If the first litteris lost the animals are able to breed again within the same breeding season. In the highlands young are typically born during one of two annual breeding seasons, April-June or October-December; in the lowland swamps births have been recorded year-round. Females produce litters of one or two (average litter size 1-5); there are four teats. It appears that females need a territory in order to breed and raise young successfully. The young remain in the pouch for 80-93 days and first emerge from the nest at c.110 days. At Cambarville, in the Central Highlands, the sexes differ in age of dispersal, males dispersing at 15 months and females at ten months; this may be to ensure that the offspring do not replace their mothers in the colony, and therefore reduces inbreeding. In contrast, at the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve, both sexes stay within the maternal home range until they are at least 16 months of age. The reproductive life also varies, being 1-6 years at Cambarville and 3-3 years at Yellingbo. Genetic studies of the Yellingbo population revealed that 62% of adult males and 66% of adult females hold the position of “resident breeding individuals” in their colony. Within a colony, breeding vacancies arise following deaths and are quickly filled by immigrants from neighboring colonies; these new breeders are typically more than two years of age. Activity patterns. Nocturnal. Leadbeater’s Possums emerge from their dens c.16 minutes after dusk. During the day the animals rest up in dens made in hollows of very large, old trees; in the Central Highlands they spend almost 75% of their time in their nests. The possums utilize several dens, which are located 1-30 m above the ground in large communal nests; the nests consist of shredded bark built in the hollow center of a large dead orliving tree. Movements, Home range and Social organization. These possums live in colonies of 2-12 individuals that consist of a monogamous breeding pair and one or more generations of non-breeding offspring. The size of the colony appears to vary according to habitat quality. Membership of the colony is maintained by scent marking each other and by mutual tail-licking; these family groups defend resources and huddle together when conditions are cold. In the mountain ash forests, dispersing animals regularly visit established colonies and membership turnover is high. A colony utilizes a home range of 1-2 ha that is actively defended from members of adjacent colonies. Most animals use two or more trees, and the distance between nesting trees usually exceeds 50 m. Possible reasons for the den-swapping behavior include attempts to relieve the burden of ectoparasites, to reduce the risk of predation, or both. Leadbeater’s Possums make several calls, which appear mostly to aid in communication between individuals of the colony and potentially to mark their territorial boundaries; these include a high-pitched staccato call that is often made when fighting, particularly during territorial disputes between neighboring colonies, and a type of hiss that is used when alarmed, as when fighting or threatened by a predator. Main predators of Leadbeater’s Possums appear to be greater sooty-owls (7yto tenebricosa), Australian masked-owls (7. novaehollandiae), powerful owls (Ninox strenua), and possibly Spottedtailed Quolls (Dasyurus maculatus), as well as introduced species such as domestic/feral cats (Felis catus), domestic/feral dogs, and Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. Following intense fires in 1939, this species, already extremely rare, was then believed extinct. In 1961, however, it was rediscovered near Marysville, and was believed at that time to be restricted to Central Highlands of Victoria, but in 1989 an isolated population was found in a patch of habitat at Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve, some 17 km away. In the early 1990s, the Yellingbo population was thought to number ¢.200 individuals and the main Central Highlands population ¢.2000 mature individuals. At that time a decline of ¢.90% over the following 30 years was predicted owing to loss of den trees and suitable nesting habitat. More recently, the Yellingbo Reserve is thought to sustain 80-100 individuals. Historically, this species appears to have had a wider distribution in Australia, as evidenced by Pleistocene fossil deposits in southern New South Wales (Wombeyan Caves and Marble Arch) and in eastern Victoria (Buchan). There are also five specimens collected between 1867 and 1910 within Victoria from Mt Wills, Koo-wee-Rup, and Bass River; further, anecdotal reports have been recorded from Dartmouth, Wonnangatta, Castle Hill, Strzelecki Ranges, and Black Forest. The contraction in the species’ distribution provides good evidence of the changes in climate and vegetation structure over the last 30,000 years or more. The fossil record suggests that these possums were relatively common in wet sclerophyll forests, whereas they were rare or absent in dry sclerophyll forests. Wildfires that spread through the Central Highlands in 1939 resulted in a loss of tree hollows throughout the species’ range. These trees continue to collapse, and new hollows will not appear within the regrowth forests until ¢.2075; a dramatic decline of ¢.90% in possum numbers by 2020 is predicted. Some authors have proposed the erection of nestboxes in order to ameliorate the imminent cavity shortage, but research in the Central Highlands suggests that these have a low rate of occupancy and would be ineffective as a large-scale solution. Given the very low levels of nestbox occupancy, tree-harvesting regimes that retain hollows are needed; logging practices are presently not ecologically sustainable, and modified forestry practices need to be adopted. In contrast, nestbox-occupancy rates at the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve (where there are few tree hollows) are much higher, Leadbeater’s Possums utilizing 75% of the 150 boxes supplied. The discrepancy in nestbox usage between the two locations may be due to there being other nesting opportunities within trees in the Central Highlands, so that, as these trees continue to collapse or are harvested, the use of nextboxesin that region may increase. In addition to the loss of tree hollows through natural sources, more than 75% of the forests within the species’ known distribution are designated for harvesting by the timber and paper industries; with clear-cutting, virtually all trees on a coupe of 15-40 ha are removed in a single operation. As the rotation cycle is 50-80 years,this is not long enough for hollows to develop in regrown trees before these, too, are harvested. As this species has such a limited distribution, conserving it places it in direct confrontation with the timber industry. Clear-cutting impacts the vegetation structure of forests, affecting availability of nest trees, availability of forest sites for the species, and the arrangement of suitable patches in the forest landscape. Two eminent scientists (one of whom has studied this species over 25 years) argued that recent government policies in Victoria run counter to the conservation of this species and appear to be driving it to extinction, even though it is the faunal emblem of that State: they assert that, after a system of protected areas was established in 2008, the government of Victoria sanctioned changes to the legislation and substantially watered down protocols for habitat protection for this species; logging of “protected” areas has been permitted, allowing the destruction of known habitat of LLeadbeater’s Possum, which will render these areas unsuitable for at least 150 years. 8. Yellow-bellied Glider Petaurus australis French: Possum a ventre jaune / German: Grofser Gleithornchenbeutler / Spanish: Falangero planeador de vientre amarillo Other common names: Bellied Glider, Fluffy Glider Taxonomy. Petaurus australis Shaw, 1791, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Although the geographically isolated population in north-east Queensland has been described as a separate race (reginae) named by O. Thomas in 1923, no subspecies are currently recognized. Monotypic. Distribution. E Australia in NE Queensland (between Mt Windsor and Yamanie, on bank of Herbert River Gorge), and patchily from EC Queensland S along coast through New South Wales to the Victoria—South Australia border. Bibliography. Brazenor (1962), Flannery (1994a), Hansen & Taylor (2008), Hansen etal. (2009), Harley (20044, 2004b), Harley & Lill (2007), Harley et al. (2005), Lindenmayer (1996), Lindenmayer & Meggs (1996), Lindenmayer & Possingham (2013), Lindenmayer, MacGregor & Gibbons (2002), Loyn & McNabb (1982), Menkhorst (2008b), Smales (1994), Smith, A.P (1984a, 1984b), Smith, A.P & Harley (2008), Smith, A.P & Lindenmayer (1988), Wilkinson (1961). Descriptive notes. Head—body 24-31 cm,tail 38-47 cm; weight 470-725 g (males) and 435-660 g (females). Conforms to Bergmann’s Rule: individuals in more tropical regions have a smaller body mass than those from more temperate regions. This species is the largest petaurid glider. It is gray brown (sometimes rich brown) above, with a distinctive black dorsal stripe extending from head to rump. Young animals typically have a white belly, and adults have a distinctive yellow belly. The speciesis also the most vocal of the petaurid possums,so is easily distinguished from other petaurid gliders. Habitat. Inhabits wet sclerophyll forest, open coastal forest, and foothill forests that are dominated by mature, tall eucalypts. One study documented a definite preference for forest associations that contain gum-barked and winter-flowering species. Within these associations, the abundance of animals was correlated with microhabitat variables and structural variables representing forest age and degree of disturbance; significant factors included the structural variable,site productivity, and the number of dead hollowbearing trees (which relate to the foraging and denning requirements of the glider). 7. Northern Glider Petaurus abidi Food and Feeding. The diet ofthis glider consists primarily of insects, arthropods, and exudates, including sap from trees, lerps, manna, honeydew, and nectar and pollen, the proportion of each varying among different locations. Insects are often caught while the glideris foraging through peeling bark. When sap-feeding,it uses its lower incisors to gouge into a Eucalyptus, Corymbia (both Myrtaceae), or sometimes Acacia (Fabaceae) tree (referred to as sap-site trees), after which the sap can continue to flow and be eaten by the gliders for several decades. The incisions made form a V-shape that is typically c¢.12 cm long and has an angle of approximately 100°; they are cut through the outer bark, inner bark, and cambium layers of the trunk and form a neat channel typically 5-10 mm wide and 4-10 mm deep,just touching the sapwood, which is not incised. The incised trees typically have a minimum diameter at breast height greater than 40 cm. Some tree species extensively used at one location may be completely ignored at another. Tree sap is particularly important at extremes of the range, including north Queensland and western Victoria, as it accounts for more than 80% of the diet. In other parts of the glider’s distribution sap constitutes ¢.30% of the diet. Typically, only one or two species of tree are used at a particularsite, even though five or six may be available, and fewer than 1% of possible trees are incised for sap at any one location. Individuals also use fewer than ten trees of a particular species and on average use only two trees at a time, of which they choose a single one and feed on sap for the whole night. In north Queensland, only one tree species, the red mahogany (Eucalyptus resinifera), is used. Variation in sap flow appears to occur independently of rainfall or microhabitat where the tree is located. Experimental incising oftrees, designed to mimic the effects of feeding by gliders, have failed to show any effect on sap flow, which suggests that the incidence of sap-feeding is determined by a tree’s pattern of sap flow, and that there may be trees with unusual patterns of sap flow that the gliders select as the most favorable trees to incise. Nectar and pollen are also very important to Yellow-bellied Gliders, particularly in southern New South Wales, where gliders may visit a single flowering tree (possibly all night). The availability of nectar and pollen varies temporally and, at times when few flowering trees are present,gliders may choose trees with fewer flowers than at times when flowering trees are abundant. At other times, when flowering trees are superabundant or scarce, there may be no relationship between the number of flowers in a tree and the duration ofvisits by gliders. In one study, at intermediate levels of abundance, the amount of time that a glider spent in a tree was related to the number of flowers in a tree. French: Possum de Ziegler / German: Nordlicher Gleithdrchenbeutler / Spanish: Falangero planeador septentrional Taxonomy. Petaurus abidi Ziegler, 1981, “Papua New Guinea, West Sepik Province, Mount Somoro (also spelled Somero; approximate coordinates 3°25’S, 142°05°E), about 1220 m, approximately 9-7 km ENE Lumi (Patrol Post).” This species is monotypic. Distribution. Mt Somoro and adjacent areas in Torricelli Mts, NW Papua New Guinea. Descriptive notes. Head—body 25-28 cm,tail 35-38 cm; weight 228-332 g. This species can be readily distinguished from the New Guinean Sugar Glider (P. breviceps), which occurs in same area, by its much greater size and predominantly black tail. It differs from the three Australian gliders in its very long, thickly furred, yet not bushytail. Its dorsal fur is pale gray, washed with yellowish brown, especially toward midline of back and on rump. Habitat. Occurs in primary, mid-montane tropical moist forests, and in rural gar dens close to forest. Found at elevations above 300 m, but thoughtto be rare below 800 m; most are recorded between 800 m and 1200 m. Food and Feeding. Not much is known of the diet. Specimens have been collected while they were feeding on figs (Ficus, Moraceae), and captive animals have thrived on guavas, bananas, and Syzygium (Myrtaceae) fruit. Breeding. Little is known about the reproduction of the Northern Glider. A lactating female was collected in March; another female was carrying a pouch young that was just acquiring fur on the head and weighed 6-5 g. Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species. Movements, Home range and Social organization. The ecology of this petaurid has not been studied well to date, but some anecdotal observations exist. Three adult males and two adult females were found in a hollow, which had been enlarged by chewing, in an isolated senescent tree (known locally as “diri”). Captive individuals have been heard to make a series of loud growls and shrieks. Status and Conservation. Classified as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red Last. This New Guinean species is known only from Mount Somoro and nearby areas in the Torricelli Mountains. Its extent of occurrence is limited, covering less than 100 km?, and because all individuals are in a single location, because the extent and quality of its habitat are continuing to decline owing to heavy deforestation and conversion to gardens, and because it is hunted for food, it is considered to be at the highest risk. Only seven animals have been captured in the last 20 years. In the future the Northern Glider may be found to occur in the poorly surveyed North Coastal Ranges of Papua, which comprise a section of mountain range c.100 km in length and a few tens of kilometers wide, from at least Fas 2 Village (to the east of Mount Menawa) in the west to Mount Sapua in the east. For the present, however,it is essential that it be afforded protection in conservation areas. Bibliography. Flannery (1994a), Leary, Wright, Hamilton, Singadan, Menzies, Bonaccorso, Salas et al. (2008a), Ziegler (1981). Breeding. Females typically give birth to a single young annually, although there are occasional records of two young. Births peak during the months ofJuly-October. There appears to be a general trend toward slight regional differences in breeding times, populations in Queensland breeding mostly between June and late August, those in southern New South Wales during February-April, and those in Victoria from August to December. The young reach sexual maturity at approximately 15-24 months of age. Activity patterns. Yellow-bellied Gliders are nocturnal, emerging from their dens c.19 minutes after dusk. When not in thei, Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Petauridae, pp. 52-565 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 560-562, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6656820

9. Biak Glider Petaurus biacensis French: Possum de Biak / German: Biak-Gleithornchenbeutler / Spanish: Falangero planeador de Biak Taxonomy. Petaurus (Petaurella) biacensis Ulmer, 1940, “Korrido, Biak Island,” West Papua (= Irian Jaya), New Guinea. This taxon was generally regarded as a subspecies of the Sugar Glider (P. breviceps) until it was identified as a full species in 1990s; further taxonomic work is needed in order to determine its relationship to P. breviceps. Single 1940s specimen from Owi Island was initially described as P. kohisi. Monotypic. Distribution. Schouten Is (Supiori, Biak, and Owi), in NW New Guinea. Descriptive notes. Head-body 14-15 cm, tail 14-18 cm; weight 88-100 g. This species can be distinguished by its relatively small size and largely uniform tawny or chocolatebrown fur, which is unlike that of all other petaurid gliders. Habitat. Lives in primary tropical forests on limestone substrate, and has been recorded from degraded and secondary forests, rural gardens, and plantations. It has been found commonly also around gardens and village surrounds in the Korido area of Supiori and in eastern Biak. Food and Feeding. Little is known of the diet of this species. Several individuals have been captured while feeding on bananas. Breeding. Females give birth to one or two young. The only record of pouch young is from September. Activity patterns. This glideris largely arboreal, but occasionally descendsto the ground. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Little is known of this species. A group of six was located in a hollow of a mangrove tree (Bruguiera, Rhizophoraceae) near a village. Three of these animals were collected: an adult female with a pouch young, an adult male, and a subadult male. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Although this species has a relatively small range (less than 3000 km?), it is common on both Biak and Supiori,it can tolerate some degree of habitat modification, and it occurs in a protected area. Its status on Owi Island, from where it is known though just a single specimen,is uncertain. There are no major threats facing this species, and it is unlikely to be declining at nearly the rate required to qualify forlisting in a threatened category. It is occasionally taken by domestic/feral cats (Felis catus) and dogs, but this is not considered to be a major problem. Thisis the only gliding mammal to occur on the islands in the Schouten Group, off the north-west coast of Papua. Bibliography. Flannery (1994a, 1995b), Leary, Wright, Hamilton, Singadan, Menzies, Bonaccorso, Salas et al. (2008b)., Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Petauridae, pp. 52-565 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 562, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6656820

Russell A. Mittermeier, Don E. Wilson (2015): Petauridae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 52-565, ISBN: 978-84-96553-99-6, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6656820

3. Long-fingered Striped Possum Dactylopsila palpator French: Triok a longs doigts / German: LangfingerStreifenbeutler / Spanish: Falangero rayado de dedos largos Other common names: Long-fingered Triok Taxonomy. Dactylopsila palpator Milne-Ed-wards, 1888, “la cote sud de la NouvelleGuinée” (= south coast of New Guinea). This species was placed in its own genus, Dactylonax, by O. Thomas in 1910; that genus, however, is not currently recognized by most authorities. Monotypic. Distribution. New Guinea Mts, from Arfak Mts in Bird's Head (= Vogelkop) Peninsula in the W, through Central Range, including Huon Peninsula, to the extreme SE of the island. Descriptive notes. Head-body 20-26 cm,tail 17-24 cm; weight 320-550 g. This species is distinguished from other striped possums by the greatly elongated fourth digit on forelimb and byits relatively large head. Habitat. Primary montane forest. It has been recorded at elevations between 850 m and 3050 m, mostly above 1200 m. Food and Feeding. This species, like other members of the genus, feeds primarily on insect larvae that it gouges from tree trunks and branches. Breeding. Little is known of the reproduction of this species. A female captured at Telefomin in July had small pouch young, and other females from Mount Karimaui had single subadult young in April and August. This species’ pouch has a median septum that divides it into two, each subunit having a single nipple. Activity patterns. There is limited information on the home range and movements of this species. It is known to nest in tree hollows and in underground burrows, which can be shared by 4-5 animals. It has been suggested that, because this petaurid has evolved to feed on large tunneling insect larvae that typically occur on the ground, it may be more terrestrial than had previously been thought. Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. This species has a large distribution and a presumed large population,it occurs in several protected areas, and there appear to be no major threats facing it. It is unlikely, therefore, to be declining at a rate sufficient for it to be considered at risk. The Long-fingered Striped Possum can be common in suitable habitat, but it is a cryptic species difficult to detect. It is occasionally hunted by local people for food and for its pelt; as it is not easily found, however, hunting is considered not to be a major threat. Bibliography. Flannery (1994a, 1995a), Hide et al. (1984), Leary, Wright, Hamilton, Singadan, Menzies, Bonac- corso, Helgen, Seri, Allison, Salas & Dickman (2008b), Thomas (1910)., Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Petauridae, pp. 52-565 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 50, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6656820

4. Tate’s Striped Possum Dactylopsila tate French: Triok de Fergusson / German: Tate-Streifenbeutler / Spanish: Falangero rayado de Tate Other common names: Fergusson Island Striped Possum, Tate's Triok Taxonomy. Dactylopsila tater Laurie, 1952, “ Mts. above Taibutu village, Faralulu district, West Fergusson Island, SE. New Guinea, 2,000-3,000 ft. ” (Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea). This species is monotypic. Distribution. Fergusson I, D’Entrecasteaux Archipelago, off SE Papua New Guinea. Descriptive notes. Head-body 17-21 cm, tail 26-29 cm; weight 252 g. This species has a short, sleek tail with a white tip that resembles that of the Long-fingered Striped Possum (D. palpator). Tate’s Striped Possum differs from the Long-fingered Striped Possum in lacking extremely elongate fourth finger of that species. Habitat. All records are from primary tropical moist forest in mountains in west of the island, at elevations of 600-1000 m. Food and Feeding. The diet is composed largely of insects and fruits. On following pages: 5. Torresian Striped Possum (Dactylopsila trivirgata); 6. Leadbeater’s Possum (Gymnobelideus (Petaurus biacensis); 10. Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps); 11. Mahogany Glider (Petaurus gracilis); 12. Squirrel Glider leadbeateri); 7. Northern Glider (Petaurus abid)); 8. Yellow-bellied Glider (Petaurus australis); 9. Biak Glider (Petaurus norfolcensis). Breeding. There is no information available for this species. Activity patterns. Nocturnal and arboreal. During the day, the animals den in dry leaf nests in hollows. Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species. Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. This species is known only from Fergusson Island, off the east coast of Papua New Guinea. After its initial description, in 1952, several expeditions to the island failed to find it; in 1992, however, a single specimen was collected near Tutumvasaie Village, and a very small number have been obtained since then. The extent of its known range is less than 200 km?, all known individuals are in a single location in the west of the island, and there is a continuing decline in the extent and quality of its habitat. Field surveys are urgently needed in order to determine whether or notit occurs elsewhere on the island. Although the threats to this petaurid are not known,it is likely that they include loss of suitable habitat and loss of denning sites as a result of agricultural expansion. Bibliography. Flannery (1994a, 1995b), Leary, Wright, Hamilton, Singadan, Menzies, Bonaccorso, Helgen, Seri & Allison (2008)., Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Petauridae, pp. 52-565 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 50-560, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6656820

Russell A. Mittermeier, Don E. Wilson (2015): Petauridae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 52-565, ISBN: 978-84-96553-99-6, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6656820

The Australasian marsupial order Diprotodontia includes ten extant families that are grouped into the suborders Vombatiformes (koalas and wombats), Macropodiformes (kangaroos and allies), and Phalangeriformes (possums and gliders). We investigated interfamilial relationships using mitochondrial 12S rRNA, valine tRNA, and 16S rRNA gene sequences. Our results support the monophyly of both Vombatiformes and Macropodiformes, but not Phalangeriformes. Among possums and gliders, there was strong support for a petauroid clade that includes Pseudocheiridae (ringtail possums), Petauridae (sugar glider, striped possums), Acrobatidae (feathertail possums), and the monotypic family Tarsipedidae, which is represented by the highly specialized and autapomorphic honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus). Other prior hypotheses for the phylogenetic placement of the honey possum were rejected by statistical tests. The inclusion of the honey possum within Petauroidea suggests that derived ultrastructural features of Tarsipes' spermatozoa evolved independently in Tarsipes versus polyprotodont Australasian marsupials.

The nematode Pseudophysaloptera enigmatica sp. nov. is described from the stomach of Dactylopsila trivirgata Gray, 1858, in Queensland, Australia. The new species is distinguished from congeners by its size and features present on the tail of the male. P. enigmatica sp. nov. is considerably larger than virtually all congeners, and can be differentiated by the presence of spicules and the shape and distribution of caudal papillae in the male tail. This is the first record of the genus in Australia and in marsupials. A review of the genus is provided.