Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
A New Genus of Hemibelideine Possum (Marsupialia: Pseudocheiridae) from New Guinea and Australia, Including a Lazarus Taxon from the Vogelkop Peninsula. |
| Authors: |
FLANNERY, TIM F.1 tim.fridtjof.flannery@gmail.com, KOUNGOULOS, LOUKAS G.1, MEIJAARD, ERIK2, YOHANITA, AKSAMINA M.3, MUHARMANSYAH, ARMAN, ALZAQIE, ICHLAS1, APLIN, KENNETH P.1, KORAIN, FREDERIKA, MJAM, MARNEKS, HELGEN, KRISTOFER M.4 kris.helgen@bishopmuseum.org |
| Source: |
Records of the Australian Museum. 2026, Vol. 78 Issue 1, p35-52. 18p. |
| Subjects: |
Taxonomy, Continents, Peninsulas, Marsupials, Biological classification |
| Geographic Terms: |
New Guinea (Island), Australia, Papua New Guinea, Papua Barat (Indonesia) |
| Abstract (English): |
A new genus of gliding marsupial (Hemibelideinae; Pseudocheiridae) is proposed for several possums previously known only as fossils: ‘Petauroides’ ayamaruensis Aplin, 1999 (Quaternary of the Vogelkop Peninsula of western New Guinea), Pseudocheirus stirtoni Turnbull and Lundelius, 1970 (Pliocene of Victoria and New South Wales), and an unallocated species from the Middle Pleistocene of Queensland. The type species (ayamaruensis) is based on early Holocene archaeological material from the Vogelkop, mainly lower jaws and teeth, and was presumed to have been extinct for around 6,000 years. However, here we describe living individuals of ayamaruensis, thus a ‘Lazarus species’ (‘rediscovered’ after considered to be extinct), from several locations in the West Papuan region, as well as abundant archaeological material from ca. 1,000 km to the east in Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea. The Sandaun material provides the first upper dentition known for this species. ‘Petauroides’ ayamaruensis is restricted to the Vogelkop and North Coast Ranges, and is the only hemibelideine known from New Guinea. Observations of modern animals representing ayamaruensis help to cement its status as an extremely distinctive marsupial, and access to its full dentition clarifies its relationship to fossil and living Australian possums. This newly described genus is present in the Australian Pliocene and Pleistocene fossil record, and its living relatives are the Greater gliders (Petauroides spp.) and the Lemuroid ringtail (Hemibelideus lemuroides) of eastern Australia. Traditional landowners from Maybrat Regency in the Vogelkop are familiar with ayamaruensis and relate that it roosts in tree hollows in the tallest and most commercially valuable timber trees of the lowland rainforest, and that a pair produces only a single young per year. It may also still survive in the Mamberamo Basin of western New Guinea and the Torricelli Mountains of Papua New Guinea. It is gravely threatened by logging and forest conversion, both of which continue to expand in West Papua and Papua New Guinea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Abstract (Indonesian): |
[Bahasa Indonesia] Sebuah genus baru marsupial melayang (Hemibelideinae; Pseudocheiridae) diusulkan untuk beberapa posum yang sebelumnya hanya dikenal dari catatan fosil: ‘Petauroides’ ayamaruensis Aplin, 1999 (Kuarter di Vogelkop, Papua Barat, Nugini Barat), Pseudocheirus stirtoni Turnbull dan Lundelius, 1970 (Pliosen di Victoria dan New South Wales), serta satu spesies yang belum dialokasikan dari Pleistosen Tengah Queensland. Spesies tipe dari genus baru ini (ayamaruensis) didasarkan pada material arkeologis Holosen awal dari Vogelkop, terutama rahang bawah dan gigi, dan sebelumnya diduga telah punah selama sekitar 6.000 tahun. Namun, di sini kami mendeskripsikan individu hidup ayamaruensis, sehingga merupakan ‘spesies Lazarus’ (yakni kembali dari kepunahan), dari beberapa lokasi di wilayah Papua Barat, serta material arkeologis yang melimpah dari sekitar 1.000 km ke arah barat di Provinsi Sandaun, Papua Nugini. Material dari Sandaun menyediakan catatan pertama dentisi atas yang diketahui untuk spesies ini. ‘Petauroides’ ayamaruensis terbatas pada Pegunungan Vogelkop dan Pegunungan Pantai Utara, dan merupakan satu-satunya hemibelideina yang diketahui dari Nugini. Pengamatan terhadap individu modern yang merepresentasikan ayamaruensis membantu menegaskan statusnya sebagai marsupial yang sangat khas, dan akses terhadap dentisi lengkapnya memperjelas hubungan filogenetiknya dengan posum Australia, baik yang fosil maupun yang masih hidup. Genus yang baru dideskripsikan ini hadir dalam catatan fosil Pliosen dan Pleistosen Australia, dan kerabat hidupnya adalah glider besar (Petauroides spp.) serta posum ekor cincin lemuroid (Hemibelideus lemuroides) dari Australia timur. Pemilik tanah adat dari Kabupaten Maybrat di Vogelkop mengenal ayamaruensis dan menyatakan bahwa spesies ini beristirahat di lubang-lubang pohon pada pohon kayu tertinggi dan bernilai komersial tinggi di hutan hujan dataran rendah, serta bahwa sepasang individu hanya menghasilkan satu anak per tahun. Spesies ini juga mungkin masih bertahan di Pegunungan Foja, dan Pengunungan Torricelli, Papua Nugini. Ayamaruensis menghadapi ancaman serius akibat penebangan dan konversi hutan, yang keduanya terus meluas di Papua Barat dan Papua Nugini. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: |
Engineering Source |
