Phalanger
Thirteen species, only five of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.
A majority of the species in this genus were once part of a species-complex which was known as the "Common Cuscus
Phalanger orientalis", found from the Moluccan Islands eastwards across New Guinea into the archipelagos to the east, and south into Australia.
Ground Cuscus Phalanger gymnotis
Two subspecies:
gymnotis and
leucippus.
Found throughout New Guinea (
leucippus), as well as on the Aru Islands (
gymnotis). Conversely, some authors have
leucippus only in the mountains of New Guinea and
gymnotis in the lowlands of New Guinea as well as on the Aru Islands.
Photo by
@Maguari at Cotswold Wildlife Park, UK (subspecies
leucippus).
Ground Cuscus (Strigocuscus gymnotis) at Cotswold Wildlife Park | ZooChat
Blue-eyed Cuscus Phalanger matabiru
Monotypic.
Endemic to the islands of Ternate and neighbouring Tidore, in the northern Moluccas.
Photo by
@Giant Eland at Faunaland, Indonesia.
blue-eyed cuscus (Phalanger matabiru) - ZooChat
Southern Common Cuscus Phalanger mimicus
Monotypic. Formerly included within
P. intercastellanus, itself a split from the species-complex which was "
Phalanger orientalis". The Australian population, represented below, has been split as a distinct subspecies -
peninsulae - by some authors.
Found in southern New Guinea, the Aru Islands, and Australia's Cape York Peninsula.
Photo by
@Najade in the wild, Australia.
Southern Common Cuscus (Phalanger mimicus) | ZooChat
Northern Common Cuscus Phalanger orientalis
A dozen or more subspecies have been described, but perhaps only two might be valid:
breviceps and
orientalis.
Found from Timor through the southern Moluccas and the Kai Islands, across northern New Guinea (
orientalis), and then eastwards from the Bismarck Archipelago (
breviceps) as far as the Solomon Islands. The majority of the island populations to the west and east of New Guinea are believed to be the result of prehistoric introductions by humans, which complicates any subspecific names. However the animals in the region of Timor have been given the name
P. o. timorensis.
Photo by
@Giant Eland at Taman Safari Bogor, Indonesia (labeled at the zoo as being
Strigocuscus celebensis, but probably this species based on appearance).
Sulawesi dwarf cuscus (Strigocuscus celebensis) - ZooChat
Ornate Cuscus Phalanger ornatus
Monotypic.
Found on the islands of Halmahera, Bacan and Morotai in the northern Moluccas.
Photo by
@Giant Eland at Batu Secret Zoo, Indonesia (labeled at the zoo as being
Strigocuscus celebensis, but actually this species based on appearance).
Cuscus species ID? | ZooChat
The remaining
Phalanger species, mostly from New Guinea and neighbouring islands, are not represented in the Zoochat galleries:
Gebe Cuscus Phalanger alexandrae
Monotypic.
Endemic to the island of Gebe in the north Moluccas.
Mountain Cuscus Phalanger carmelitae
Two subspecies:
carmelitae and
coccygis.
Found throughout the central ranges of New Guinea, with
coccygis being restricted to the Huon Peninsula.
Eastern Common Cuscus Phalanger intercastellanus
Monotypic. Formerly included within the species-complex which was known as the "Common Cuscus
Phalanger orientalis". The species
P. mimicus was a later split from
P. intercastellanus.
Found in southeastern Papua New Guinea, including the D'Entrecasteaux, Trobriand, and Louisiade archipelagos.
Woodlark Cuscus Phalanger lullulae
Monotypic.
Endemic to Woodlark Island and nearby Alcester Island, off eastern Papua New Guinea.
Telefomin Cuscus Phalanger matanim
Monotypic.
Described in 1987, and known only from the Nong River Valley near Tefomin in Papua New Guinea. Most of the forest in this area has since been destroyed and the species was feared to have become extinct in the late 1990s, but some recently-killed specimens were photographed in the area in 2022.
Rothschild's Cuscus Phalanger rothschildi
Monotypic.
Endemic to the Obi Islands in the Moluccas.
Silky Cuscus Phalanger sericeus
Two subspecies:
occidentalis and
sericeus.
Found throughout the central ranges of New Guinea east to the Huon Peninsula, with
occidentalis being found in west and central regions, and
sericeus in the east.
Stein's Cuscus Phalanger vestitus
Three subspecies:
interpositus, permixtio, vestitus.
Found in three separate locations across the mountains of New Guinea, with
interpositus from the Weyland and Star Mountains in western New Guinea;
permixtio from the eastern ranges in Papua New Guinea; and
vestitus from the Vogelkop Peninsula in western New Guinea. The three taxa are visually distinct and may be full species.
