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Phalangeriformes

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Phalangeriformes /fəˈlændʒərɪfɔːrmiːz/ are quadrupedal marsupials with long tails. They are a paraphyletic[1] suborder of diprotodontia, consiting of about 70 species[clarification needed] of small to medium-sized marsupials native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi.[2] It includes possums,[3] gliders, and cuscus.

Phalangeriformes species are typically nocturnal and at least partially arboreal.[citation needed] They mostly inhabit vegetated habitats,[citation needed] and several species have adjusted well to urban settings.[citation needed] Diets range from generalist herbivores or omnivores (the common brushtail possum) to specialist browsers of eucalyptus (greater glider), insectivores (mountain pygmy possum) and nectar-feeders (honey possum).[citation needed]

The smallest phalangeriforme species[citation needed], indeed the smallest diprotodont marsupial[citation needed], is the Tasmanian pygmy possum, with an adult head-body length of 70 mm (2+3⁄4 in) and a weight of 10 g (3⁄8 oz).[4] The largest are the two species of bear cuscus, which may exceed 7 kg (15 lb 7 oz).[citation needed]

The common name "(o)possum" for various Phalangeriformes species derives from the creatures' resemblance to the opossums of the Americas (the term comes from Powhatan language aposoum "white animal", from Proto-Algonquian *wa·p-aʔɬemwa "white dog").[5] However, although opossums are also marsupials, Australasian possums are more closely related to other Australasian marsupials such as kangaroos.[citation needed]

Classification

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Main article: List of phalangeriformes
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Eastern pygmy possum, Pilliga forest, NSW
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Sulawesi bear cuscus
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Southern common cuscus, Cape York Peninsula, Queensland
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Common spotted cuscus, Genoa
File:Ringtail Possum. Brisbane.jpg
Common ringtail possum, Brisbane
File:PhalangistaHerbertensisSmit.jpg
Herbert River ringtail possum, 1884
File:Striped Possum JCB.jpg
Striped possum, Crater Lakes National Park, Queensland
File:Sugar Gliders eating Mealworms.jpg
Sugar gliders at mealtime
File:Feathertail glider, Acrobates pygmaeus (Tony Rees photograph).jpg
The diminutive feathertail glider

About two-thirds of Australian marsupials belong to the order Diprotodontia, which is split into three suborders, namely the Vombatiformes (wombats and the koala, four species in total); the large and diverse Phalangeriformes (the possums and gliders) and Macropodiformes (kangaroos, potoroos, wallabies and the musky rat-kangaroo).

Note: this classification is based on Ruedas & Morales 2005.[clarification needed] However, Phalangeriformes has been recovered as paraphyletic with respect to Macropodiformes, rendering the latter a subset of the former if Phalangeriformes are to be considered a natural group.[6][7]

Classification:

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Eldridge, Mark D B; Beck, Robin M D; Croft, Darin A; Travouillon, Kenny J; Fox, Barry J (23 May 2019). "An emerging consensus in the evolution, phylogeny, and systematics of marsupials and their fossil relatives (Metatheria)". Journal of Mammalogy. 100 (3): 802–837. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyz018. ISSN 0022-2372.
  2. ↑ Template:MSW3 Diprotodontia
  3. ↑ "opossum". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  4. ↑ Ward, S.J. (1992). "Life-History of the Little Pygmy-Possum, Cercartetus lepidus (Marsupialia, Burramyidae), in the Big Desert, Victoria". Australian Journal of Zoology. 40 (1): 43–55. doi:10.1071/ZO9920043.
  5. ↑ Siebert, Frank T. Jr. (1975). "Resurrecting Virginia Algonquian from the Dead: The Reconstituted and Historical Phonology of Powhatan". In Crawford, James Mack (ed.). Studies in Southeastern Indian Languages. University of Georgia Press.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Citation/CS1/Suggestions' not found.
  7. ↑ Eldridge, Mark D B; Beck, Robin M D; Croft, Darin A; Travouillon, Kenny J; Fox, Barry J (23 May 2019). "An emerging consensus in the evolution, phylogeny, and systematics of marsupials and their fossil relatives (Metatheria)". Journal of Mammalogy. 100 (3): 802–837. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyz018. ISSN 0022-2372.

Further reading

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