How Are The Possums Of Australia Classified?
The family Phalangeridae, the brushtail possums and cuscuses, consists of 14 species that are grouped into three genera. There are three brushtail possums of the genus Trichosurus: the common brushtail possum T vulpecula, found all over Australia, and the mountain and northern species, T caninus and T arnhemensis. The genus Phalanger includes 10 species of cuscuses or phalangers. Eight of these are native to New Guinea, including the ground cuscus P gymnotis, the silky cuscus P vestitus, and the mountain cuscus P carmelitae. Small populations of two species also occur in northern Queensland; these are the spotted cuscus P maculatus and the grey cuscus P orientalis. Two other species live in areas as far west as Sulawesi: these are the Sulawesi cuscuses P ursinus and P celebensis. The scaly tailed possum Wyulda squamicaudata is classified into a genus of its own, and is found in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
