Phalanger carmelitae, Thomas, 1898

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Phalangeridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 456-497 : 493

23.

Mountain Cuscus

Phalanger carmelitae

French: Phalanger de montagne / German: Bergkuskus / Spanish: Cuscus de montana

Other common names: Mountain Phalanger

Taxonomy. Phalanger carmelitae Thomas, 1898 ,

“ Mountainous part of the Vanapa River , British New Guinea” (= Central Province, Papua New Guinea).

Two subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P c. carmelitae Thomas, 1898 — New Guinea Central Range, from the Wissel Lakes of Papua, Indonesia, in the W, to mountains of far SE Papua New Guinea in the E.

P. c. coccygis Thomas, 1922 — Huon Peninsula Mts, Papua New Guinea.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 37-43 cm, tail 31-365 cm; weight 1.7-2.6 kg. The Mountain Cuscus has thick, dark (chocolate-brown to blackish, occasionally dark grayish-brown), woolly fur covering most of its body, with a white belly. Tail is black, with a white distal tip, and coarsely tuberculated. Skull is medium-sized (condylobasal length 70-88 mm) with a relatively short rostrum, large posterior upper premolar (secator) and molars, second upper premolar always present, and three unicuspids on each side of lower jaw. The Mountain Cuscus is most easily confused with the Silky Cuscus ( P. sericeus ), in which tail is not tuberculated, white tail tip is shorter or absent, second upper premolar is lacking, and number of unicuspids on each side of lowerjaw is usually one or two.

Habitat. Mid-montane to upper montane primary forests, with little disturbance, at elevations of 1350-3800 m throughout the Central Range and Huon Peninsula of New Guinea. The Mountain Cuscus occurs in sympatry with many congeners, such the Silky Cuscus, Stein’s Cuscus ( P. vestitus ), the Ground Cuscus ( P. gymnotis ), and the Telefomin Cuscus ( P. matanim ), especially in the Star Mountains region.

Food and Feeding. Feeding observations of Mountain Cuscuses have revealed that they are folivorous—frugivorous, with ¢.80% of the diet including leaves and 18-20% including fruits, with small amounts of flowers and bark. Plants eaten by Mountain Cuscuses include Fuodia ( Rutaceae ), Freycinetia (Pandanaceae) , Garcinia (Clusiaceae) , Helicia (Proteaceae) , Illex ( Aquifoliaceae ), Litsea (Lauraceae) , Pandanus (Pandanaceae) , Podocarpus (Podocarpaceae) , Sphenostemon (Paracryphiaceae) , and Syzygium (Myrtaceae) . A captive Mountain Cuscus reportedly killed and ate a pet lorikeet (Loriinae) placed in the same enclosure; it also ate leaves of Acalypha (Euphorbiaceae) , a common regrowth shrub of the highlands, and softer parts of stems of Casuarina (Casuarinaceae) . Mountain Cuscuses also eat fruits of Pandanus and epiphytic orchids.

Breeding. Female Mountain Cuscuses give birth to a single young, with births reported in February, April, August, and September, which may indicate year-round breeding.

Activity patterns. The Mountain Cuscus is nocturnal and has been observed resting by day in arboreal hideouts, including tree hollows and in tangles of epiphytes and fronds of Pandanus . Field observations have found male Mountain Cuscuses using 11-13 dens/year that were spaced an average of 115 m apart; females used 12-19 dens/ year that were spaced an average of 124 m apart. During the night, Mountain Cuscuses spend ¢.40% of their time eating, c.25% resting, and the remainder traveling.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Male Mountain Cuscuses move an average of 59 m/h while traversing a home range of c.4 ha; females travel an average of 37 m/h in home ranges averaging 2-8 ha. Overlap of adjacent home rangesis small, with male home ranges overlapping by an average of only 0-22% and females by only 0-05%.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Mountain Cuscus is hunted by local people for food throughout much of its distribution, and significant habitat loss is taking place in parts of its distribution, mostly by deforestation of land for subsistence agriculture. Nevertheless, where it is not hunted, it is abundant in suitable habitat.

Bibliography. Flannery (1995a), Helgen (2007a), Hume etal. (1993), Leary, Singadan, Menzies, Helgen, Wright, Allison, Salas & Dickman (2008a), Majnep & Bulmer (2007), Menzies (1991), Menzies & Pernetta (1986), Salas (2002).

Figures

11. Peleng Cuscus (Phalanger pelengensus), 12. Moluccan Cuscus (Phalanger ornatus), 13. Gebe Cuscus (Phalanger alexandrae), 14. Obi Cuscus (Phalanger rothschildi), 15. Ground Cuscus (Phalanger gymnotis), 16. Woodlark Cuscus (Phalanger lullulae), 17. Northern Common Cuscus (Phalanger orientalis), 18. Eastern Common Cuscus (Phalanger intercastellanus), 19. Southern Common Cuscus (Phalanger mimicus), 20. Telefomin Cuscus (Phalanger matanim), 21. Stein’s Cuscus (Phalanger vestitus), 22. Silky Cuscus (Phalanger sericeus), 23. Mountain Cuscus (Phalanger carmelitae), 24. Black Spotted Cuscus (Spilocuscus rufoniger), 25. Waigeo Spotted Cuscus (Spilocuscus papuensis), 26. Admiralty Spotted Cuscus (Spilocuscus kraemeri), 27. Blue-eyed Spotted Cuscus (Spilocuscus wilsoni), 28. Common Spotted Cuscus (Spilocuscus maculatus), 29. Australian Spotted Cuscus (Spilocuscus nudicaudatus)

Subspecies and Distribution. P c. carmelitae Thomas, 1898 — New Guinea Central Range, from the Wissel Lakes of Papua, Indonesia, in the W, to mountains of far SE Papua New Guinea in the E. P. c. coccygis Thomas, 1922 — Huon Peninsula Mts, Papua New Guinea.