''Phalanger'' (from the Greek ''phalangion'', meaning spider's web, from their webbed (fused) toes
[Chambers English Dictionary]) is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
possum
Possum may refer to:
Animals
* Didelphimorphia, or (o)possums, an order of marsupials native to the Americas
** Didelphis, a genus of marsupials within Didelphimorphia
*** Common opossum, native to Central and South America
*** Virginia opossum ...
s. Its members are found on
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
, the
Maluku Islands
The Maluku Islands ( ; , ) or the Moluccas ( ; ) are an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia. Tectonics, Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located in West ...
, other nearby small islands, and Australia's
Cape York Peninsula
The Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth's last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación Sierra Madre, ...
. They are
marsupial
Marsupials are a diverse group of mammals belonging to the infraclass Marsupialia. They are natively found in Australasia, Wallacea, and the Americas. One of marsupials' unique features is their reproductive strategy: the young are born in a r ...
s of the family
Phalangeridae
The Phalangeridae are a family of mostly nocturnal marsupials native to Australia, New Guinea, and Eastern Indonesia, including the cuscuses, brushtail possums, and their close relatives. Considered a type of possum, most species are arboreal, a ...
,
and are one of the four genera whose species are commonly referred to as
cuscuses.
*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 So ...
, ''P. alexandrae''
**
Mountain cuscus, ''P. carmelitae''
**
Ground cuscus, ''P. gymnotis''
**
Eastern common cuscus, ''P. intercastellanus''
**
Woodlark cuscus, ''P. lullulae''
**
Blue-eyed cuscus, ''P. matabiru''
**
Telefomin cuscus, ''P. matanim''
**
Southern common cuscus, ''P. mimicus''
**
Northern common cuscus, ''P. orientalis''
**
Ornate cuscus, ''P. ornatus''
**
Rothschild's cuscus, ''P. rothschildi''
**
Silky cuscus, ''P. sericeus''
**
Stein's cuscus, ''P. vestitus''
References
External links
*
*
Possums
Marsupials of Oceania
Marsupial genera
Taxa named by Gottlieb Conrad Christian Storr
{{Marsupial-stub