The genus ''Cercartetus'' is a group of very small possums known as

pygmy possum The pygmy possums are a family of small possums that together form the marsupial family Burramyidae. The five extant species of pygmy possum are grouped into two genera. Four of the species are endemic to Australia, with one species also co-occu ...

s. Four species comprise this genus, which together with the 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 The genus ''Cercartetus'' is a group of very small po ...

'' make up the marsupial family

Burramyidae The pygmy possums are a family of small possums that together form the marsupial family Burramyidae. The five extant species of pygmy possum are grouped into two genera. Four of the species are endemic to Australia, with one species also co-occu ...

. It has occasionally been presumed that ''Cercaërtus'' was a misspelling or synonym of ''Cercartetus''. However, the name ''Cercaërtus'' is a junior synonym of ''

Trichosurus The brushtail possums are the members of the genus ''Trichosurus'' in the Phalangeridae, a family of marsupials. They are native to Australia (including Tasmania) and some small nearby islands. Unique among marsupials, they have shifted the hyp ...

'' and not of ''Cercartetus''.

Conservation International Conservation International (CI) is an American nonprofit environmental organization headquartered in Crystal City, Virginia, in Arlington County, Virginia. CI's work focuses on science, policy and partnership with businesses, governments and co ...

(CI) and the

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Institute of Science (LIPI) reported on the possible discovery of a new species of ''Cercartetus'' pygmy possum upon visit to the

Foja Mountains The Foja Mountains (Foja Range, Foya Mountains) () are located just north of the Mamberamo river basin in Papua, Indonesia. The mountains rise to , and have 3,000 square kilometers of old growth tropical rainforest in the interior part of the r ...

in June 2007.

Species

*Genus ''Cercartetus'' **

Long-tailed pygmy possum The long-tailed pygmy possum (''Cercartetus caudatus'') is a diprotodont marsupial found in the rainforests of northern Australia and New Guinea. Living at altitudes of above , it eats insects and nectar, and may eat pollen in place of insects i ...

, ''Cercartetus 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 ...

, ''Cercartetus concinnus'' **

Tasmanian pygmy possum The Tasmanian pygmy possum (''Cercartetus lepidus''), also known as the little pygmy possum or tiny pygmy possum, is the world's smallest possum. It was first described by Oldfield Thomas in 1888, after he identified that a museum specimen label ...

, ''Cercartetus lepidus'' **

Eastern pygmy possum The eastern pygmy possum (''Cercartetus nanus'') is a diprotodont marsupial of south-eastern Australia. Occurring from southern Queensland to eastern South Australia and also Tasmania, it is found in a range of habitats, including rainforest, ...

, ''Cercartetus nanus''

References

Possums Marsupials of Australia Marsupial genera Extant Pleistocene first appearances Taxa named by C. L. Gloger {{Diprotodont-stub