Phalangeriformes is a suborder of Australian marsupial mammals. Members of this suborder are called phalangeriformes, and include possums, gliders, and cuscus. Phalangeriformes is one of three suborders that form the order Diprotodontia, the largest extant order of marsupials. They are found in Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesia, generally in forests, though some species can also be found in shrublands and grasslands. They range in size from the Tasmanian pygmy possum, at plus a tail, to the cuscus of the genus Spilocuscus, at plus a tail. Phalangeriformes primarily eat leaves, fruit, and insects, though many are omnivorous and will eat small vertebrates or other plant material.
Many phalangeriformes do not have population estimates, but the ones that do range from 50 mature individuals to 75,000. No species have gone extinct in modern times, but five are categorized as endangered: the southern greater glider, Tate's triok, mahogany glider, Gebe cuscus, and Woodlark cuscus. A further eight species are categorized as critically endangered: Leadbeater's possum, northern glider, western ringtail possum, mountain pygmy possum, Talaud bear cuscus, Telefomin cuscus, black-spotted cuscus, and blue-eyed spotted cuscus.
The sixty-four extant species of Phalangeriformes are divided into six families grouped into two superfamilies: Petauroidea, containing two species in two genera in the family Acrobatidae, eleven in three genera in the family Petauridae, eighteen in six genera in the family Pseudocheiridae, and a single species in the family Tarsipedidae; and Phalangeroidea, containing five species in two genera in the family Burramyidae and twenty-seven in five genera in the family Phalangeridae. Several extinct Phalangeriformes species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries the exact number and categorization is not fixed.
Conventions
The author citation for the species or genus is given after the scientific name; parentheses around the author citation indicate that this was not the original taxonomic placement. Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the phalangeriformes's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted.
Classification The suborder Phalangeriformes consists of six extant families grouped into two superfamilies: Acrobatidae, Petauridae, Pseudocheiridae, and Tarsipedidae in the superfamily Petauroidea, and Burramyidae and Phalangeridae in the superfamily Phalangeroidea. Acrobatidae contains two species in two genera, Petauridae contains eleven species in three genera, Pseudocheiridae contains eighteen species in six genera, Tarsipedidae contains a single species, Burramyidae contains five species in two genera, and Phalangeridae contains twenty-seven species in five genera.
Superfamily Petauroidea Family Acrobatidae Genus Acrobates (feathertail glider): one species Genus Distoechurus (feather-tailed possum): one species Family Petauridae Genus Dactylopsila (trioks): four species Genus Gymnobelideus (Leadbeater's possum): one species Genus Petaurus (gliders): six species Family Pseudocheiridae Subfamily Hemibelideinae Genus Hemibelideus (lemuroid ringtail possum): one species Genus Petauroides (southern greater glider): one species Subfamily Pseudocheirinae Genus Petropseudes (rock-haunting ringtail possum): one species Genus Pseudocheirus (ringtail possums): two species Genus Pseudochirulus (ringtail possums): eight species Subfamily Pseudochiropsinae Genus Pseudochirops (ringtail possums): five species Family Tarsipedidae Genus Tarsipes (honey possum): one species
Superfamily Phalangeroidea Family Burramyidae Genus Burramys (mountain pygmy possum): one species Genus Cercartetus (pygmy possums): four species Family Phalangeridae Subfamily Ailuropinae Genus Ailurops (bear cuscus): two species Subfamily Phalangerinae Genus Phalanger (cuscus): thirteen species Genus Spilocuscus (spotted cuscus): five species Genus Strigocuscus (cuscus): two species Genus Trichosurus (brushtail possums): four species Genus Wyulda (scaly-tailed possum): one species
Phalangeriformes The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists.
Superfamily Petauroidea
Acrobatidae
Petauridae
Pseudocheiridae
Subfamily Hemibelideinae
Subfamily Pseudocheirinae
Subfamily Pseudochiropsinae
Tarsipedidae
Superfamily Phalangeroidea
Burramyidae
Phalangeridae
Subfamily Ailuropinae
Subfamily Phalangerinae
References Wilson, Reeder, pp. 44–56
Nowak 2018, pp. 283–284
Nowak 2018, p. 281
Nowak 2018, pp. 275–276
Nowak 2018, pp. 264–265
Nowak 2018, pp. 267–268
Nowak 2018, pp. 262–263
Nowak 2018, p. 239
Nowak 2018, p. 234
Nowak 2018, pp. 244–245
Nowak 2018, pp. 258–259
Nowak 2018, pp. 256–257
Nowak 2018, p. 246
Nowak 2018, p. 246
Nowak 2018, p. 253
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