Phalangeriformes is a paraphyletic suborder of about 70 species of small to medium-sized

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...

marsupial Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in ...

s native to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...

, and

Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu ...

. The species are commonly known as possums, gliders, and cuscus. The common name "possum" for various Phalangeriformes species derives from the creatures' resemblance to the

opossum Opossums () are members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia () endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 93 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered No ...

s of the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...

(the term comes from

Powhatan language Powhatan or Virginia Algonquian was an Eastern Algonquian subgroup of the Algonquian languages. It was formerly spoken by the Powhatan people of tidewater Virginia. Following 1970s linguistic research by Frank Thomas Siebert, Jr., some of the ...

''aposoum'' "white animal", from Proto-Algonquian *''wa·p-aʔɬemwa'' "white dog"). However, although opossums are also marsupials, Australasian possums are more closely related to other Australasian marsupials such as

kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...

s. Phalangeriformes are

quadrupedal Quadrupedalism is a form of locomotion where four limbs are used to bear weight and move around. An animal or machine that usually maintains a four-legged posture and moves using all four limbs is said to be a quadruped (from Latin ''quattuor ...

diprotodont marsupials with long tails. The smallest species, indeed the smallest diprotodont marsupial, is the Tasmanian pygmy possum, with an adult head-body length of and a weight of . The largest are the two species of

bear cuscus The bear cuscuses are the members of the genus ''Ailurops''. They are marsupials of the family Phalangeridae. The bear cuscuses are arboreal marsupials. Almost nothing is known of their status and ecology. Although some scientists assign all pop ...

, which may exceed . Phalangeriformes species are typically

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

and at least partially arboreal. They inhabit most vegetated habitats, and several species have adjusted well to urban settings. Diets range from generalist

herbivore A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpar ...

s or

omnivore An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nu ...

s (the common brushtail possum) to specialist browsers of

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as ...

(

greater glider The greater gliders are three species of large gliding marsupials in the genus ''Petauroides'', all of which are found in eastern Australia. Until 2020 they were considered to be one species, ''Petauroides volans''. In 2020 morphological and gene ...

insectivore A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores were ...

s ( mountain pygmy possum) and nectar-feeders (

honey possum The honey possum or noolbenger (''Tarsipes rostratus''), is a tiny species of marsupial that feeds on the nectar and pollen of a diverse range of flowering plants. Found in southwest Australia, it is an important pollinator for such plants as '' ...

Classification

Ailurops ursinus Naemundung 2 North Sulawesi

Southern Brown Cuscus, photo by CNZdenek & AJBurnett

Feathertail glider, Acrobates pygmaeus (Tony Rees photograph)

About two-thirds of Australian marsupials belong to the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

Diprotodontia, which is split into three

suborder Order ( la, ordo) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and ...

s, namely the Vombatiformes (

wombat Wombats are short-legged, muscular quadrupedal marsupials that are native to Australia. They are about in length with small, stubby tails and weigh between . All three of the extant species are members of the family Vombatidae. They are ad ...

s and the

koala The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the ...

, four species in total); the large and diverse Phalangeriformes (the possums and gliders) and Macropodiformes (

potoroo Potoroo is a common name for species of ''Potorous'', a genus of smaller marsupials. They are allied to the Macropodiformes, the suborder of kangaroo, wallaby, and other rat-kangaroo genera. All three extant species are threatened by ecological ...

wallabies A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and som ...

and the musky rat-kangaroo). Note: this classification is based on Ruedas & Morales 2005. However, Phalangeriformes has been recovered as paraphyletic with respect to Macropodiformes, rendering the latter a subset of the former if Phalangeriformes are to be considered a natural group. * Suborder Phalangeriformes: possums, gliders and allies ** Superfamily

Phalangeroidea The Phalangeroidea are a superfamily of mammals that include the families Burramyidae and Phalangeridae The Phalangeridae are a family of mostly nocturnal marsupials native to Australia, New Guinea, and Eastern Indonesia, including the cuscus ...

*** Family †

Ektopodontidae ''Ektopodon'' is an extinct genus of marsupial, and is the type genus of the family Ektopodontidae which occurred in forested environments in South Australia, Queensland and Victoria. The last species of this group went extinct in the early Plei ...

: **** Genus †'' Ektopodon'' ***** ''† Ektopodon serratus'' ***** ''† Ektopodon stirtoni'' ***** ''† Ektopodon ulta'' *** Family Burramyidae: ( pygmy possums) **** Genus ''

Burramys ''Burramys'' is a genus of the family Burramyidae, and is represented by one living and 3 extinct (fossil) species. It is one of two genera of pygmy possum, the other being ''Cercartetus''. Taxonomy *Genus ''Burramys'' **†''Burramys wakefiel ...

'' ***** Mountain pygmy possum, ''B. parvus'' **** Genus ''

Cercartetus The genus ''Cercartetus'' is a group of very small possums known as pygmy possums. Four species comprise this genus, which together with the genus '' Burramys'' make up the marsupial family Burramyidae. It has occasionally been presumed that ' ...

'' ***** Long-tailed pygmy possum, ''C. caudatus'' *****

Southwestern pygmy possum The western pygmy possum (''Cercartetus concinnus''), also known as the southwestern pygmy possum or the ''mundarda'', is a small marsupial found in Australia. Genetic studies indicate its closest relative is probably the eastern pygmy possum, f ...

, ''C. concinnus'' ***** Tasmanian pygmy possum, ''C. lepidus'' ***** Eastern pygmy possum, ''C. nanus'' *** Family Phalangeridae: ( brushtail possums and cuscuses) **** Subfamily Ailuropinae ***** Genus '' Ailurops'' ****** Talaud bear cuscus, ''A. melanotis'' ******

Sulawesi bear cuscus The Sulawesi bear cuscus, also known as the Sulawesi bear phalanger (''Ailurops ursinus''), is a species of arboreal marsupial in the family Phalangeridae that is endemic to Sulawesi and nearby islands in Indonesia. It lives in tropical moist lo ...

, ''A. ursinus'' ***** Genus '' Strigocuscus'' ******

Sulawesi dwarf cuscus The Sulawesi dwarf cuscus (''Strigocuscus celebensis'') is a species of arboreal marsupial in the family Phalangeridae that is endemic to Sulawesi and nearby islands in Indonesia. It inhabits tropical moist lowland forest and is nocturnal, foliv ...

, ''S. celebensis'' ****** Banggai cuscus, ''S. pelegensis'' **** Subfamily Phalangerinae ***** Tribe Phalangerini ****** Genus '' Phalanger'' *******

Gebe cuscus The Gebe cuscus (''Phalanger alexandrae'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is endemic to the island of Gebe, North Maluku province, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Sou ...

, ''P. alexandrae'' *******

Mountain cuscus The mountain cuscus (''Phalanger carmelitae'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae found in West Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), ...

, ''P. carmelitae'' *******

Ground cuscus The ground cuscus (''Phalanger gymnotis'') is a marsupial from the order Diprotodontia and belongs within the family Phalangeridae, a diverse family consisting of the other cuscus species and the brushtail possums (''Trichosurus'' spp.) and the ...

, ''P. gymnotis'' *******

Eastern common cuscus The eastern common cuscus (''Phalanger intercastellanus'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae found in eastern Papua New Guinea. Until recently, it was considered conspecific with '' P. mimicus'', and before that also with '' P ...

, ''P. intercastellanus'' *******

Woodlark cuscus The Woodlark cuscus (''Phalanger lullulae'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae endemic to Papua New Guinea, specifically on Madau and Woodlark Island, a part of the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. It happens to be the ...

, ''P. lullulae'' ******* Blue-eyed cuscus, ''P. matabiru'' ******* Telefomin cuscus, ''P. matanim'' *******

Southern common cuscus The southern common cuscus (''Phalanger mimicus''), also known as Australian cuscus, gray phalanger, and ''to-ili'', is an arboreal marsupial endemic to Australia ( Cape York), southern New Guinea and possibly the Aru Islands. Until recently, it ...

, ''P. mimicus'' *******

Northern common cuscus The northern common cuscus (''Phalanger orientalis''), also known as the gray cuscus, is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae native to northern New Guinea and adjacent smaller islands, but is now also found in the Bismarck Archipel ...

, ''P. orientalis'' *******

Ornate cuscus The ornate cuscus or Molluccan cuscus (''Phalanger ornatus'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is endemic to Indonesia, where it is found on the North Maluku islands of Halmahera, Bacan and Morotai Morotai Island ( id ...

, ''P. ornatus'' *******

Rothschild's cuscus Rothschild's cuscus (''Phalanger rothschildi''), also called the Obi Island cuscus, is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is endemic to the islands of Obi, Bisa and Obilatu in the Obi Islands of Maluku province, Indonesia ...

, ''P. rothschildi'' *******

Silky cuscus The silky cuscus (''Phalanger sericeus'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Names It is known as atwak, añ, sosus, or beŋ-tud in the Kalam language of Papua New Guinea.Pawley, ...

, ''P. sericeus'' *******

Stein's cuscus Stein's cuscus (''Phalanger vestitus'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially th ...

, ''P. vestitus'' ****** Genus '' Spilocuscus'' *******

Admiralty Island cuscus The Admiralty Island cuscus or Manus Island spotted cuscus (''Spilocuscus kraemeri'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is endemic to the Admiralty Islands of Papua New Guinea. It is the smallest member of the genus ''Spil ...

, ''S. kraemeri'' *******

Common spotted cuscus The common spotted cuscus (''Spilocuscus maculatus''), also known as the white cuscus, is a cuscus, a marsupial that lives in the Cape York region of Australia, New Guinea, and nearby smaller islands. Names It is known as aklang or gabi in the ...

, ''S. maculatus'' *******

Waigeou cuscus The Waigeou cuscus or Waigeou spotted cuscus (''Spilocuscus papuensis'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is endemic to the island of Waigeo in Indonesia, and consequently the spelling Waigeo cuscus is often used instead ...

, ''S. papuensis'' *******

Black-spotted cuscus The black-spotted cuscus (''Spilocuscus rufoniger'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is among the largest members of the family, only being surpassed by the bear cuscus. It is a relatively colourful species found in fore ...

, ''S. rufoniger'' *******

Blue-eyed spotted cuscus The blue-eyed spotted cuscus or Biak spotted cuscus (''Spilocuscus wilsoni'') is a species of critically endangered marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. Taxonomy The blue-eyed spotted cuscus is one of five species of spotted cuscus in the g ...

, ''S. wilsoni'' ***** Tribe Trichosurini ****** Genus '' Trichosurus'' *******

Northern brushtail possum The northern brushtail possum (''Trichosurus arnhemensis'') is a nocturnal marsupial inhabiting northern Australia. The northern brushtail possum is sometimes considered a species, however more often than not is considered a subspecies of the ...

, ''T. arnhemensis'' *******

Short-eared possum The short-eared possum (''Trichosurus caninus'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae endemic to Australia. Found north of Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city i ...

, ''T. caninus'' *******

Mountain brushtail possum The mountain brushtail possum, or southern bobuck (''Trichosurus cunninghami''), is a nocturnal, semi-arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae native to southeastern Australia. It was not described as a separate species until 2002. Taxono ...

, ''T. cunninghami'' *******

Coppery brushtail possum The coppery brushtail possum (''Trichosurus johnstonii'') is a species of marsupial possum in the family Phalangeridae. Coppery brushtails are found within the Atherton Tablelands area of Queensland, in northeastern Australia. These mammals inha ...

, ''T. johnstonii'' ******* Common brushtail possum, ''T. vulpecula'' ****** Genus ''

Wyulda ''Wyulda'' is a genus of phalanger. The scaly-tailed possum is the only extant species, but a single extinct species ('' Wyulda asherjoeli'') from the Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends fr ...

'' ******* Scaly-tailed possum, ''W. squamicaudata'' ** Superfamily Petauroidea *** Family

Pseudocheiridae Pseudocheiridae is a family of arboreal marsupials containing 17 extant species of ringtailed possums and close relatives. They are found in forested areas and shrublands throughout Australia and New Guinea. Characteristics Physically, they a ...

: (

ring-tailed possum The common ringtail possum (''Pseudocheirus peregrinus'', Greek for "false hand" and Latin for "pilgrim" or "alien") is an Australian marsupial. It lives in a variety of habitats and eats a variety of leaves of both native and introduced plants, ...

s and allies) **** Subfamily Hemibelideinae ***** Genus '' Hemibelideus'' ******

Lemur-like ringtail possum The lemuroid ringtail possum (''Hemibelideus lemuroides''), also known as the lemur-like ringtail possum or the brushy-tailed ringtail, is a truly singular member of the ringtail possum group. It was once thought that they were gliding possums (' ...

, ''H. lemuroides'' ***** Genus ''

Petauroides The greater gliders are three species of large gliding marsupials in the genus ''Petauroides'', all of which are found in eastern Australia. Until 2020 they were considered to be one species, ''Petauroides volans''. In 2020 morphological and ge ...

'' ****** Central greater glider, ''P. armillatus'' ****** Northern greater glider, ''P. minor'' ****** Southern greater glider, ''P. volans'' **** Subfamily Pseudocheirinae ***** Genus '' Petropseudes'' ******

Rock-haunting ringtail possum The rock-haunting ringtail possum (''Petropseudes dahli''), also known as the rock ringtail possum, is a species of Australian possum. It is found in rocky escarpments in the Kimberley, Arnhem Land and Gulf of Carpentaria across Western Austral ...

, ''P. dahli'' ***** Genus ''

Pseudocheirus ''Pseudocheirus'' is a genus of ringtail possums (family Pseudocheiridae). It includes a single living species, the common ringtail possum (''Pseudocheirus peregrinus'') of Australia, as well as the fossil ''Pseudocheirus marshalli'' from the P ...

'' ******

Common ringtail possum The common ringtail possum (''Pseudocheirus peregrinus'', Greek for "false hand" and Latin for "pilgrim" or "alien") is an Australian marsupial. It lives in a variety of habitats and eats a variety of leaves of both native and introduced plan ...

, ''P. peregrinus'' ***** Genus ''

Pseudochirulus Slender ringtail possum or Small ringtail possum (''Pseudochirulus''), also known as the ringtail possum, is a genus of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae native to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Queensland, Australia. ''Pseudochirulu ...

'' ****** Lowland ringtail possum, ''P. canescens'' ****** Weyland ringtail possum, ''P. caroli'' ******

Cinereus ringtail possum The Daintree River ringtail possum (''Pseudochirulus cinereus''), also known as the cinereus ringtail possum, is a species of possum found in northeastern Queensland, Australia. It was long believed to be the same as the Herbert River ringtail ...

, ''P. cinereus'' ****** Painted ringtail possum, ''P. forbesi'' ****** Herbert River ringtail possum, ''P. herbertensis'' ****** Masked ringtail possum, ''P. larvatus'' ****** Pygmy ringtail possum, ''P. mayeri'' ****** Vogelkop ringtail possum, ''P. schlegeli'' **** Subfamily

Pseudochiropsinae False ringtail possums (''Pseudochirops'') are members of a genus of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae Pseudocheiridae is a family of arboreal marsupials containing 17 extant species of ringtailed possums and close relatives. They are ...

***** Genus '' Pseudochirops'' ******

D'Albertis' ringtail possum D'Albertis' ringtail possum (''Pseudochirops albertisii'') is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu ...

, ''P. albertisii'' ****** Green ringtail possum, ''P. archeri'' ****** Plush-coated ringtail possum, ''P. corinnae'' ****** Reclusive ringtail possum, ''P. coronatus'' ****** Coppery ringtail possum, ''P. cupreus'' *** Family Petauridae: ( striped possum, Leadbeater's possum,

yellow-bellied glider The yellow-bellied glider (''Petaurus australis''), also known as the fluffy glider, is an arboreal and nocturnal gliding possum that lives in native eucalypt forests in eastern Australia, from northern Queensland south to Victoria. Habitat ...

, sugar glider, mahogany glider, squirrel glider) **** Genus ''

Dactylopsila ''Dactylopsila'' is a genus of marsupial in the family Petauridae. Species The genus includes the following four species: * Great-tailed triok, ''Dactylopsila megalura'' * Long-fingered triok, ''Dactylopsila palpator'' * Tate's triok, ''Da ...

'' ***** Great-tailed triok, ''D. megalura'' ***** Long-fingered triok, ''D. palpator'' *****

Tate's triok Tate's triok, also known as the Fergusson Island striped possum (''Dactylopsila tatei''), is a species of marsupial in the family Petauridae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ...

, ''D. tatei'' ***** Striped possum, ''D. trivirgata'' **** Genus '' Gymnobelideus'' ***** Leadbeater's possum, ''G. leadbeateri'' **** Genus ''

Petaurus The genus ''Petaurus'' () contains flying phalangers or wrist-winged gliders, a group of arboreal possums native to Australia, New Guinea, and surrounding islands. There are eight species: the sugar glider, savanna glider, Krefft's glider ...

'' *****

Northern glider The northern glider (''Petaurus abidi'') is a species of marsupial in the family Petauridae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea, becoming known to science in 1981 after being discovered in the Torricelli Mountains. This species has been found in ...

, ''P''. ''abidi'' ***** Savanna glider, ''P. ariel'' *****

Yellow-bellied glider The yellow-bellied glider (''Petaurus australis''), also known as the fluffy glider, is an arboreal and nocturnal gliding possum that lives in native eucalypt forests in eastern Australia, from northern Queensland south to Victoria. Habitat ...

, ''P. australis'' *****

Biak glider The Biak glider (''Petaurus biacensis'') is a species of marsupial in the family Petauridae. It is endemic to the Schouten Islands in the western region of Papua Province, Indonesia. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of ''Petaurus br ...

, ''P. biacensis'' ***** Sugar glider, ''P. breviceps'' ***** Mahogany glider, ''P. gracilis'' ***** Squirrel glider, ''P. norfolcensis'' ***** Krefft's glider, ''P. notatus'' *** Family

Tarsipedidae The honey possum or noolbenger (''Tarsipes rostratus''), is a tiny species of marsupial that feeds on the nectar and pollen of a diverse range of flowering plants. Found in southwest Australia, it is an important pollinator for such plants as '' ...

: (

) **** Genus '' Tarsipes'' *****

Honey possum The honey possum or noolbenger (''Tarsipes rostratus''), is a tiny species of marsupial that feeds on the nectar and pollen of a diverse range of flowering plants. Found in southwest Australia, it is an important pollinator for such plants as '' ...

or ''noolbenger'', ''T. rostratus'' *** Family

Acrobatidae The Acrobatidae are a small family of gliding marsupials containing two genera, each with a single species, the feathertail glider (''Acrobates pygmaeus'') from Australia and feather-tailed possum (''Distoechurus pennatus'') from New Guinea. ...

: ( feathertail glider and

feather-tailed possum The feather-tailed possum (''Distoechurus pennatus'') is a species of marsupial in the family Acrobatidae. It is found in West Papua and Papua New Guinea. It is not to be confused with the feathertail glider, the only other species in the famil ...

) **** Genus '' Acrobates'' ***** Feathertail glider, ''A. pygmaeus'' **** Genus '' Distoechurus'' *****

Feather-tailed possum The feather-tailed possum (''Distoechurus pennatus'') is a species of marsupial in the family Acrobatidae. It is found in West Papua and Papua New Guinea. It is not to be confused with the feathertail glider, the only other species in the famil ...

, ''D. pennatus''

Classification

See also

References

Further reading