Distoechurus pennatus (Peters, 1874)

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Acrobatidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 574-591 : 591

3.

Feather-tailed Possum

Distoechurus pennatus

French: Acrobate a queue pennée / German: Pinselschwanzbeutler / Spanish: Falangero de cola plumosa

Other common names: Feathertail Possum, New Guinean Feathertailed Possum, Pen-tailed Possum

Taxonomy. Phalangista (Distoechurus) pennata Peters, 1874 ,

“ Andai,” Vogelkop ( = Bird's Head Peninsula ), Papua Province, Indonesia.

The genus Distoechurus has not received recent taxonomic revision, and diversity of forms suggests it might be a species complex. Four species-level names are available: pennatus described by W. Peters in 1874 from Andai, Bird's Head Peninsula, Papua Province, Indonesia; neuhassi described by P. Matschie in 1916 from Sattelberg, Huon Peninsula, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea; amoenus described by O. Thomas in 1920 from the Rawlinson Range, Morobe Province; and dryas also described by Thomas in 1920 from Mount Gayata, Richardson Range, Papua New Guinea. Preliminary genetic and morphological assessments indicate that it contains three or more distinct species. Monotypic.

Distribution. New Guinea, widespread throughout lowlands and montane areas.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 9-10.5 cm (maximum 10-8 cm), tail 11.5-14.5 cm (maximum 15-3 cm); weight 30-45 g. Tail length-to-head-body length ratio is usually 1-2-1-5. There is no evidence for sex-biased dimorphism in body measurements of the Feather-tailed Possum. Dorsal fur varies from drab gray to gingery gray. Fur on outer surfaces of limbs and crown of head is same color as on back. Undersurface is cream to gingery buff. Ears and digits are sparsely furred. Tail is furred ventrally to within 1-2 mm oftip. Tail hair fringe lacks any pale emargination (notched at the margin).

Habitat. Lowland swamp and peat forests, hill forest, and lower montane forest upward to its transition with upper montane forest, from near sea level to elevations above 2000 m (highest elevation record from ¢.2600 m on Hides Ridge, Hela Province). There are no records of Feather-tailed Possums from seasonally dry savanna habitats of south-eastern New Guinea. They can be common in areas of secondary growth including old gardens, which has led to suggestions that they are confined to secondary vegetation. Recent collections have been made in undisturbed climax forests across their entire elevational distribution.

Food and Feeding. Natural diets of the Feather-tailed Possums are unknown. Captive individuals have been maintained for periods of several months on mixed diets of insects,fruit, honeyed water, infant cereal, and milk. They are said to prefer cicadas to other insects. P. D. Dwyer maintained captive individuals for short periods on bananas and pawpaw fruit.

Breeding. Most breeding observations of Feather-tailed Possums comes from the Karimul Plateau at elevations of 1100-1300 m in Chimbu Province, Papua New Guinea. R. Hide recorded information from 22 individuals including ten females captured in June-August 1981. Five of the females carried pouch young (mean number of young was 1-4), and two other females were lactating. Six females had two nipples, but one had four. K. Aplin sampled this population again in April 1984. Of 14 females examined, twelve were either carrying pouch young or had enlarged, lactating nipples. The largest non-breeding female weighed 38 g, while breeding females weighed 40-62 g. One female with a body mass of 44 g was carrying a 21 g offspring on her back. Nipple counts were made in six individuals: five had two nipples and one had four. Five females were each carrying a single pouch young, and most were lactating from only one nipple; however, two individuals had two lactating nipples, including the individual with four nipples. The combined results from Mount Karimui suggest an extended breeding season spanning at least from April to August. This coincides with the dry season at Mount Karimui with rainfall generally ¢.200-300 mm/month through this period compared with 500 mm/month or more outside of this period. Nevertheless, without some breeding data to compare from the wetter period, we cannot exclude the possibility that Feather-tailed Possums breed at high intensity year-round at Mount Karimui, at least during favorable years. The female collected by Aplin with the advanced young riding on her back was also pregnant. The uterus of this individual contained a single embryo, and there was an early stage corpus luteum on the paired ovaries, demonstrating release of a single ovum on this occasion. This individual thus confirmed polyestry for a Feather-tailed Possum, as well as sequential production of two litters, as documented for feather-tailed gliders ( Acrobates ). Other breeding records for Feather-tailed Possums come from Mount Sisa, Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea, where P. Dwyer observed two females (weight 38 g and 44 g) each with two teats and a single pouch young in late July 1979; from Wigote in the Torricelli Mountains, West Sepik Province, where T. Flannery observed a female with body mass of 32 g and two pouch in July 1985; and from Iniok on the Sepik River where Aplin observed a female with body mass of 42 g and two teats, both lactating, but with no young in pouch in mid-June 2010. G. Tate reported a female with a single median nipple and one pouch young obtained in 1936 from Sturt Island on the Lower Fly River, Western Province, Papua New Guinea.

Activity patterns. Feather-tailed Possums are agile climbers. Although their tails lack true prehensile tips, they wrap them around branches as extra support while climbing. When pursued, they will leap several meters between branches or trees. Feather-tailed Possums are primarily nocturnal, and there are no published observations of diurnal activity. When encountered at night, they are usually located in the mid-canopy, often in crowns of small saplings. Feather-tailed Possums rarely, if ever, come to the ground, and no images have been obtained from camera traps set at ground level (with or without bait, including fruit) in patches of forest known to support them. Most specimens have been purchased from hunters who take them from tree hollows or other nesting sites.

Movement, Home range and Social organization. Nothing is recorded of movements or social organization of Feather-tailed Possums, beyond that they are sometimes taken in small groups from communally occupied tree hollows. No feeding congregations have been recorded. Hide reported capture circumstances for 22 Feather-tailed Possums on the Karimui Plateau in June-August 1981. Seven of these were solitary, and the remainder was captured in groups of 2-3 individuals. Four captures were made from tree hollows and nine from leaf nests in the foliage of trees, bananas, and Pandanus (Pandanaceae) palms. Of the 21 Feather-tailed Possums collected by Aplin in the same general vicinity in April 1984, eleven were reported to come from tree hollows, including one group of three females (two with pouch young, one nulliparous) and an adult female with a subadult male. Two individuals were taken from nests in dense crowns of Pandanus palms. A group of two adult females with pouch young and a subadult female were presented to Dwyer at Mount Sisa, Southern Highlands Province, in July 1979. Adult Feather-tailed Possums make no obvious vocalizations when observed casually at night or when handled. Social communications must be primarily visual or olfactory. Males and females have a strong musky odor, which was likened to the smell of “stale beer” by Flannery.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Until the taxonomy of Distoechurus is resolved, nothing concrete can be said regarding the conservation needs of potential new individual species. Overall, the genus appears to be secure across large parts of its distribution. At least some regional populations are tolerant and may even benefit from low-level disturbance of the kind created by traditional shifting agriculture.

Bibliography. Aplin & Archer (1987), Baverstock et al. (1987), Bensley (1903), Edwards & Westerman (1995), Flannery (1990a, 1994a, 1995a), Harding (1987), Hughes et al. (1987), Matschie (1916b), Osborne et al. (2002), Peters (1874), Phillips et al. (2006), Springer & Kirsch (1991), Szalay (1982b, 1993, 1994), Tate (1945a), Thomas (1920a), Westerman et al. (1984), Winge (1941), Woolley & Allison (1982), Woolley & Vanderveen (2002).

Figures

Plate 33 Species Accounts

Distribution. New Guinea, widespread throughout lowlands and montane areas.