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.
Petauridae is a family of possums containing 11 species: four species of trioks and striped possum, six species of wrist-winged glider, and Leadbeater's possum, which has only vestigial gliding membranes. Most of the wrist-winged gliders are native to Australia, whereas most of the striped possums to New Guinea, but some members of each group are found on both sides of the Torres Strait. Leadbeater's possum is endemic to Victoria, Australia.
Pseudocheiridae is a family of arboreal marsupials containing 17 extant species of ringtailed possums and close relatives. They are found in forested areas and shrublands throughout Australia and New Guinea.
Pseudocheirus is a genus of ringtail possums. It includes a single living species, the common ringtail possum of Australia, as well as the fossil Pseudocheirus marshalli from the Pliocene of Victoria.
The Herbert River ringtail possum is a species of possum found in northeastern Queensland, Australia. It is a dark brown to black species, sometimes with a white belly. The Herbert River ringtail possum was long considered conspecific with the cinereus ringtail possum, despite the fact that they are very different in appearance. They are, however, the only members of their New Guinea-centred genus found in Australia. The Herbert River ringtail possum is restricted to tropical rainforest from Mount Lee, west of Ingham, to the Lamb Range, west of Cairns.
The Daintree River ringtail possum, also known as the cinereus ringtail possum, is a species of possum found in northeastern Queensland, Australia. It was long believed to be the same as the Herbert River ringtail possum, but has recently been separated. The two species differ considerably in appearance.
D'Albertis' ringtail possum is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.
The plush-coated ringtail possum or golden ringtail possum is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.
The coppery ringtail possum is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
The lowland ringtail possum is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is found in Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea.
The Weyland ringtail possum is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is endemic to the western Central Cordillera, including the Weyland and Star Mountains, of Papua Province, Indonesia. P. caroli is also "known from four localities west of the Star Mountains" and tends to live in montane forest or other hilly areas. Currently the Weyland ringtail is not endangered, but should be "monitored [because] it could rapidly become threatened if either human encroachment or hunting were to increase significantly."
The painted ringtail possum or moss-forest ringtail possum is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It inhabits montane forests between altitudes of 450 to 3800 metres throughout the Huon Peninsula montane rain forests, Central Range montane rain forests and Huon Peninsula montane rain forests of Papua New Guinea. It has a diet of primarily leaves, including those of Medinilla.
The pygmy ringtail possum is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is found in the montane forest regions of Papua New Guinea and West Papua, Indonesia. They are "widespread along the Central Cordillera" and live at elevations between 1,500 and 3,600 metres above sea level.”
The Vogelkop ringtail possum is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is endemic to the Vogelkop Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia.
Ringtail, ring tail, or ring-tail may refer to:
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.
The masked ringtail possum is a marsupial possum of the family Pseudocheiridae. It is found in northeastern New Guinea in the Star Mountains. the eastern Central Cordillera, the Huon Peninsula and the northern coast ranges. Masked ringtails are arboreal residents of various forest ecosystems. They are sexually dimorphic and locally common. This species is sometimes classified as a subpopulation of P. forbesi; however, it has a separate range.
Marlu is an extinct genus of Pseudocheiridae from the Oligocene–Miocene of Australia. It consists of five species found at various sites in Australia. M. kutjamarpensis, M. karya, M. sykes and M. ampelos from the Miocene in the Kutjamarpu Local Fauna in Queensland and from the Late Oligocene, M. praecursor from the Wadikali Local Fauna in northern South Australia.
