Pseudochirulus cinereus (Tate, 1945)

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Pseudocheiridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 498-530 : 523-524

7.

Daintree River Ring-tailed Possum

Pseudochirulus cinereus

French: Possum de Daintree / German: Grauer Ringbeutler / Spanish: Falangero de cola anillada del rio Daintree

Other common names: Cinereous Ringtail, Daintree Ringtail Possum

Taxonomy. Pseudocheirus herbertensis cinereus Tate, 1945 ,

“ Mount Spurgeon , about 65 miles northwest of Cairns, northern Queensland, altitude 4000 feet,” Australia .

This species was included as a subspecies of P. herbertensis until 1989 when a cytogenetic assessment revealed that it was genetically distinct. Monotypic.

Distribution. NE Australia in N Queensland, in three disjunct populations, one on Mt Thornton Peak, one on Mt Windsor Tableland, and one on Mt Carbine Tableland.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 34-37 cm,tail 32-40 cm; weight 0.7-1.4 kg. Dorsal fur of the Daintree River Ring-tailed Possum is pale caramel-fawn to dark brown, grading to creamy-white on stomach. It has a dark stripe from between its eyes to its lower back. Tail tapers, and terminal one-third is usually white.

Habitat. Upland rainforest at elevations above 420 m.

Food and Feeding. Daintree River Ring-tailed Possums eats mainly leaves of rainforest trees. Favored trees include pink ash ( Alphitonia whitei, Rhamnaceae ) and bleeding heart ( Homalanthus novoguineensis, Euphorbiaceae ); other important species include a tamarind (Arylera sp., Sapindaceae ), brown cudgerie ( Canarium australasicum, Burseraceae ), northern quandong ( Elaeocarpus ferruginiflorus Elaeocarpaceae ), blush walnut ( Endiandra sp. , Lauraceae ), gully walnut ( Endiandra bessaphila), buttonwood ( Glochidion sp. , Phyllanthaceae ), needlebark ( Macaranga subdentata, Euphorbiaceae ), boxwood ( Niemeyera sp. , Sapotaceae ), white basswood ( Polyscias murrayi, Araliaceae ), pink boxwood ( Pouteria pearsoniorum, Sapotaceae ), paperback satinash ( Syzygium papyraceum, Myrtaceae ), and false fig ( Timonius singularis, Rubiaceae ). Fruit of the redstipuled fig ( Ficus triradiata) and Moreton Bay fig ( Ficus watkinsiana), both Moraceae , are also favored.

Breeding. Little is known about reproduction of the Daintree Ring-tailed Possum. Females have two teats in their pouches, and two young are reared. Pouch young have been recorded July, November, and December; young riding on their mothers’ backs have been observed in July and September—January; and young accompanying the mother have been seen in July.

Activity patterns. Daintree River Ring-tailed Possums are primarily nocturnal and are thought to rest in tree hollows and epiphytic clumps during the day.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Little is known of movements and social organization of Daintree River Ring-tailed Possums. They appear to be solitary except prior to mating. Vocalizations include a short hissing grunt when adults are handled and a “sik-sik-sik” call by fully furred pouch young when they are handled. Predators of Daintree River Ring-tailed Possums include lesser sooty-owls (7yto multipunctata), Spotted-tailed Quolls (Dasyurus maculatus), amethystine pythons ( Morelia amethistina), carpet pythons ( Morelia spilota), and Dingoes (Canis lupus dingo); variable goshawks (Accipiter novaehollandiae) may be daytime predators.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Habitat of the Daintree River Ring-tailed Possum is secure, and there are no known major threats. Most ofits habitat is within the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site where threats from large-scale clearing or selective logging no longer apply.

Bibliography. Burnett & Winter (2008b), Murray et al. (1989), Winter & Trenerry (2008).

Figures

1. Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possum (Hemabelideus lemuroides), 2. Central Greater Glider (Petauroides armillatus), 3. Northern Greater Glider (Petauroides minor), 4. Southern Greater Glider (Petawroides volans), 5. Lowland Ring-tailed Possum (Pseudochirulus canescens), 6. Weyland Ring-tailed Possum (Pseudochirulus carols), 7. Daintree River Ring-tailed Possum (Pseudochirulus cinereus), 8. Painted Ring-tailed Possum (Pseudochirulus forbesi), 9. Herbert River Ring-tailed Possum (Pseudochirulus herbertensis), 10. Masked Ring-tailed Possum (Pseudochirulus larvatus), 11. Pygmy Ring-tailed Possum (Pseudochirulus mayer), 12. Arfak Ring-tailed Possum (Pseudochirulus schlegeli)

Distribution. NE Australia in N Queensland, in three disjunct populations, one on Mt Thornton Peak, one on Mt Windsor Tableland, and one on Mt Carbine Tableland.