List of marsupials described in the 2000s

Last updated

The following is a list of marsupials which have been taxonomically described in the 2000s.

Contents

Species of the infraclass Marsupialia of mammals discovered and described in the 2000s.

New species list

Taxonomy

In 2002 it was discovered that the originally named mountain brush-tailed possum of Australia actually consists of two separate species. Due to taxonomic rules, the northern population has been renamed with the common name short-eared possum but will keep the scientific name Trichosurus caninus, while the southern population has been named with the common and scientific names mountain brush-tailed possum (Trichosurus cunninghami). This is because the original type specimen of the species was from the northern population, and therefore must keep the original scientific name. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

Phalangeriformes Suborder of arboreal marsupials

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.

DAguilar National Park Protected area in Queensland, Australia

D'Aguilar National Park is a national park in Queensland, Australia. It contains the D'Aguilar Range and is located along the northwest of the Brisbane metropolitan area. The park is traversed by the winding scenic Mount Nebo Road and Mount Glorious Road.

Common brushtail possum Species of marsupial

The common brushtail possum is a nocturnal, semiarboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, native to Australia and naturalised in New Zealand, and the second-largest of the possums.

Brush-tailed rock-wallaby Species of marsupial

The brush-tailed rock-wallaby or small-eared rock-wallaby is a kind of wallaby, one of several rock-wallabies in the genus Petrogale. It inhabits rock piles and cliff lines along the Great Dividing Range from about 100 km north-west of Brisbane to northern Victoria, in vegetation ranging from rainforest to dry sclerophyl forests. Populations have declined seriously in the south and west of its range, but it remains locally common in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. However, due to a large bushfire event in South-East Australia around 70% of all the wallaby's habitat has been lost as of January 2020.

Brush-tailed phascogale Species of mammal

The brush-tailed phascogale, also known by its Australian native name tuan, the common wambenger, the black-tailed mousesack or the black-tailed phascogale, is a rat-sized arboreal carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae, characterized by a tuft of black silky hairs on the terminal portion of its tail. Males of this species do not live past the age of one, as they die after reproducing.

<i>Cercartetus</i> Genus of marsupials

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.

Scaly-tailed possum Species of marsupial

The scaly-tailed possum is found in northwestern Australia, where it is restricted to the Kimberley. They are light grey over most of the body and have relatively short ears and muzzle. The mostly hairless tail is able to curl around the branches of trees as the possum forages for food, its grasp is aided by rasp-ilke scales and is strong enough to hold its own weight. The species favours complex rocky terrain with dense thickets of vines and the fruiting trees that provide much of their diet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short-eared possum</span> Species of marsupial

The short-eared possum is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae endemic to Australia. Found north of Sydney, the species was once classed as a mountain brushtail possum, which is its closest relative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brushtail possum</span> Genus of marsupials

The brushtail possums are the members of the genus Trichosurus in the Phalangeridae, a family of marsupials. They are native to Australia and some small nearby islands. Unique among marsupials, they have shifted the hypaxial muscles from the epipubic to the pelvis, much like in placental muscles, meaning that their breathing cycle is more similar to the latter than to that of other non-eutherian mammals. In general, they are more terrestrially oriented than other possums, and in some ways might parallel primates.

Mountain brushtail possum Species of marsupial

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

Phalangeridae Family of marsupials native to Australia, New Guinea, and Eastern Indonesia

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, and they inhabit a wide range of forest habitats from alpine woodland to eucalypt forest and tropical jungle. Many species have been introduced to various non-native habitats by humans for thousands of years.

Northern brushtail possum Species of marsupial

The northern brushtail possum 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 common brushtail possum.

References

  1. "New Mammal Species Identified In Australia". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2006-05-14.