Phalanger

This article is about the genus. For the PHP compiler, see Phalanger (compiler). For other animals called phalanger, see Phalanger (disambiguation).

Phalanger
Phalanger gymnotis at Cotswold Wildlife Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Diprotodontia
Family:	Phalangeridae
Subfamily:	Phalangerinae
Tribe:	Phalangerini
Genus:	Phalanger Storr, 1780
Type species
Didelphis orientalis Pallas, 1766
Species
13, see text

Phalanger (from the Greek phalangion, meaning spider's web, from their webbed (fused) toes ^[1] ) is a genus of possums. Its members are found on New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, other nearby small islands, and Australia's Cape York Peninsula. They are marsupials of the family Phalangeridae, ^[2] and are one of the four genera whose species are commonly referred to as cuscuses.

• Genus Phalanger
  • Gebe cuscus, 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

1. Chambers English Dictionary
2. Groves, C. P. (2005). "Genus Phalanger". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 46–48. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.