The eastern pygmy possum is the type species of the genus Cercartetus (family Burramyidae), and was first described as Phalangista nana with the specific name meaning 'dwarf' in Latin. Currently, the authority for the specific name is widely accepted as Desmarest 1818, but in a review recently published, it was pointed out that an earlier version of Desmarest's account was published in 1817.[3]
Names synonymous with Cercartetus nanus are Phalangista glirifomis (Bell, 1828) and Dromicia britta (Wood Jones, 1925).[1] These coincide with the two subspecies C. n. nanus (Desmarest, 1818) (the Tasmanian subspecies) and C. n. unicolor (Krefft, 1863) (the mainland Australian subspecies).[1]
Vernacular names that have been used for this species include dwarf phalanger, minute phalanger, dwarf cuscus, pigmy phalanger, Bell's Dromicia, opossum mouse, dusky Dromicia, pygmy opossum, thick-tailed Dromicia, mouse-like phalanger, common dormouse-phalanger, dormouse phalanger, common dormouse-opossum, dormouse possum, pigmy opossum, pigmy possum and eastern pigmy possum.[3] A standard name finally arose via a committee of the Australian Mammal Society.[4]
Eastern pygmy possums are very small, weighing from 15 to 43 grams (0.53 to 1.52oz) and having a body length of between 7 and 9 centimetres (2.8 and 3.5in) with a 8 to 11 centimetres (3.1 to 4.3in) tail. They are dull grey above and white below, with big, forward pointing, almost hairless, ears and a long prehensile tail, with thick fur at the base that becomes sparser towards the tip. They have long whiskers, and a narrow ring of dark fur around each eye.[5]
The eastern pygmy possum is an active climber. It uses its brush tipped tongue to feed on nectar and pollen, especially from Banksia, Eucalyptus and Callistemon species.[6] It also feeds on insects, and will eat soft fruits when flowers are not available. It is a largely solitary animal, sheltering in tree hollows and stumps, abandoned bird nests, and thickets. During winter it spends time in torpor.[6]
They are nocturnal, and, although generally thought to be solitary, have been reported to share communal nests, and to be seen in groups of two or more adult individuals. Males occupy home ranges of 0.24 to 1.7 hectares (0.59 to 4.20 acres), which overlap with each other and with the smaller, 0.18 to 0.61 hectares (0.44 to 1.51 acres) ranges of females.[5]
Distribution and habitat
Eastern pygmy possums are found along the southeastern Australian coast, from eastern South Australia to southern Queensland, and on Tasmania. They inhabit shrubby vegetation in a wide variety of habitats, from open heathland or shrubland to sclerophyll or rainforest, at elevations from sea level to 1,800 metres (5,900ft). Despite this apparent diversity of habitats, their distribution is patchy, and they are usually low in number where they are found.[5]
Reproduction
Eastern pygmy possums typically breed twice a year, although they may breed a third time if food is plentiful. Females have a well-developed pouch with four to six teats, and usually give birth to four young, although larger litters are not uncommon. Gestation lasts around 30 days, after which the young spend 33 to 37 days sheltering in the pouch. They are weaned at 60 to 65 days, and remain with the mother for at least a further ten days, by which time they weigh about 10 grams (0.35oz).[5]
The young reach the full adult size at around five months, but may be able to breed as little as three months after birth. They live for up to 7.5 years in captivity, but probably no more than five years in the wild.[5]
Discovery
The first specimen of an eastern pygmy possum known to Europeans was collected by François Péron, a naturalist aboard Nicolas Baudin's voyage to the south seas.[3] Whilst on a short stay on Maria Island, off eastern Tasmania between 19 and 27 February 1802, Péron traded with the Aboriginal inhabitants for a single small marsupial. Péron wrote (in translation) 'In the class of mammiferous animals, I only saw one kind of Dasyurus, which was scarcely as large as a mouse. I obtained one that was alive, in exchange for a few trifles, from a savage who was just going to kill and eat it'.[7] In an unpublished manuscript (now held in the Le Havre Museum in France) Péron also wrote that the animal 'was given to me by the natives; it was still alive; I believe it to be a new species and have described it as Didelphis muroides because of its resemblance to the D. mus of Linnaeus'.[8] The specimen collected by Péron (a juvenile male) was transported back to France, and is now held in the Muséum National d’Historie Naturelle in Paris as the holotype.[9]
Fossil record
Bones of this species are often recorded as fossils or sub-fossils from late Pleistocene and Holocene cave deposits in south-eastern Australia. It is incorporated into the fossil record because owls and/or quolls that have preyed on eastern pygmy possums (and other small mammals) deposit regurgitated or faecal pellets in caves which then act as excellent preservation sites. About 50 such sites form the fossil record for the eastern pygmy possum.[10][11][12]
Conservation status
Eastern pygmy possums are listed as least concern by the IUCN,[2] and both subspecies are listed as lower risk by Australian Commonwealth Government legislation. At the State level within Australia, its status is defined variously. In New South Wales, it is considered vulnerable under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. In South Australia, the species is considered vulnerable under Schedule 8 of that State's National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. In Victoria, it is not listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, and is therefore officially not threatened. Records for Queensland are scant, but the species is perhaps misleadingly classed as common under that State's Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation 1994. In Tasmania, the eastern pygmy possum is currently considered not threatened under the Nature Conservation Act 2002.
Predators and parasites
Known predation records are by the barn owlTyto alba, the masked owlT. novaehollandiae, the sooty owlT. tenebricosa, the barking owlNinox connivens, the brown antechinusAntechinus stuartii, the tiger quollDasyurus maculatus, the Tasmanian devilSarcophilus harrisii, the dingoCanis lupus dingo, the dogCanis lupus familiaris, the red foxVulpes vulpes, the catFelis catus, Stephen's banded snakeHoplocephalus stephensii, and the rough-scaled snakeTropidechis carinatus.[10][11][13][14] In a study of the impacts of logging on the species, conducted in McPherson State Forest, not far from Gosford, high rates of predation were found with six of 61 radio-tracked pygmy-possums taken by reptiles (tiger snakes, diamond pythons, and goannas) and two by raptors such as sooty owls with other predators such as native Antechinus and feral cats and foxes noted.[15] A sooty owl pellet investigation found that pygmy possums comprised 15% of the 126 dietary items identified.[15] The study's authors suggested that the species is vulnerable to altered predation regimes, such as influxes of feral predators, and highlights the need for a better understanding of any influence of logging on predator activity.[15]
Parasites recorded for the eastern pygmy possum are the fleasAcanthopsylla rothschildi, A. scintilla, Choristopsylla thomasi, and Ch. ochi; the mitesGuntheria newmani, G. shieldsi, Ornithonyssus bacoti (normally a parasite of captive rats), and Stomatodex cercarteti (type described from C. nanus); two nematodesTetrabothriostrongylus mackerrasae and Paraustrostrongylus gymnobelideus; and the common marsupial tickIxodes tasmani. There is also a record of a free-living platyhelminthGeoplana sp., although this was possibly an accidental infection.[16]
Related Research Articles
Phalangeriformes is a paraphyletic suborder of about 70 species of small to medium-sized arboreal marsupials native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi. 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 opossums of the Americas. However, although opossums are also marsupials, Australasian possums are more closely related to other Australasian marsupials such as kangaroos.
The feathertail glider, also known as the pygmy gliding possum, pygmy glider, pygmy phalanger, flying phalanger and flying mouse, is a species of marsupial native to eastern Australia. It is the world's smallest gliding mammal and is named for its long feather-shaped tail.
Australidelphia is the superorder that contains roughly three-quarters of all marsupials, including all those native to Australasia and a single species – the monito del monte – from South America. All other American marsupials are members of the Ameridelphia. Analysis of retrotransposon insertion sites in the nuclear DNA of a variety of marsupials has shown that the South American monito del monte's lineage is the most basal of the superorder.
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 Tasmanian pygmy possum, 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 labelled as an eastern pygmy possum in fact represented a species then unknown to science. The holotype resides in the Natural History Museum in London.
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-occurring in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
The western pygmy possum, 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, from which its ancestors diverged around eight million years ago.
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.
The scaly-tailed possum is found in northwestern Australia, where it is restricted to the Kimberley.
The lesser sooty owl is a medium-sized masked owl endemic to the wet tropics region of Australia. Once considered a subspecies of the greater sooty owl, it is distinguished by its dark plumage, heavier spotting, and higher-pitched call. The lesser sooty owl has a limited range within northeastern Australia and primarily lives in dark, sheltered areas of the rainforest.
Petauroidea is a superfamily of marsupials from Australia and New Guinea. It is part of the suborder Phalangeriformes within the order Diprotodontia, which also includes, among others, wombats, kangaroos, cuscuses. The superfamily Phalangeroidea, including cuscuses and brushtail possums and pygmy possums, is the immediate sister group of the Petauroidea. The earliest fossils from this superfamily are from the Oligocene of the Geilston Bay fossil site in Tasmania.
Riversleigh fauna is the collective term for any species of animal identified in fossil sites located in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area.
1 2 3 Harris, J.M. (2006). "The discovery and early natural history of the eastern pygmy possum, Cercartetus nanus (Geoffroy and Desmarest, 1817)". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 127: 107–124.
↑ Strahan, R. (1981). A number of Australian mammal names: Pronunciation, derivation, and significance of the names, with bibliographical notes. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
↑ Péron, M.F. (1975). A voyage of discovery to the southern hemisphere, performed by order of the Emperor Napoleon during the years 1801, 1802, 1803 and 1804. Melbourne: Marsh Walsh Publishing. p.233.
↑ Observations zoologiques by François Péron, on Maria Island, unpublished manuscript # 18043:31.
↑ Julien-Laferriere, D (1994). Catalogue des types de mammiferes du Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Order des Marsupiaux. Extrait de Mammalia. Tome 58.
↑ Bladon, R. V.; Dickman, C.R. & Hume, I.D. (2002). "Effects of habitat fragmentation on the demography, movements and social organisation of the eastern pygmy possum (Cercartetus nanus) in northern New South Wales". Wildlife Research. 29: 105–116. doi:10.1071/WR01024.
↑ Fitzgerald, M.; Shine, R. & Lemckert, F. (2004). "Life history attributes of the threatened Australian snake (Stephen's banded snake Hoplocephalus stephensii, Elapidae)". Biological Conservation. 119 (1): 121–128. Bibcode:2004BCons.119..121F. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2003.10.026.
↑ Harris, J. M.; Vilcins, I. (2007). "Some parasites of the eastern pygmy possum, Cercartetus nanus (Marsupialia: Burramyidae)". Australian Mammalogy. 29: 107–110. doi:10.1071/am07015.
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