Hemibelideus lemuroides (Collett, 1884)

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 : 521

1.

Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possum

Hemabelideus lemuroides

French: Possum Iémurien / German: Lemuren-Ringbeutler / Spanish: Falangero lemuroide

Other common names: Lemurlike Ringtail, Lemuroid Ringtail, Lemuroid Ringtail Possum

Taxonomy. Phalangista (Hemibelideus) lemuroides Collett, 1884 ,

“ Northern Queensland,” Australia.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. NE Australia (N Queensland).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 31-40 cm, tail 23-38 cm; weight 0-81.1-2 kg. The Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possum looks superficially like greater gliders ( Petauroides ), but it lacks patagium on each side ofits body.

Fur is long and woolly and occurs in two color morphs. One is chocolate-brown; the other, a less common color phase,is creamy-white. Creamy-white individuals were previously described as a different species. Both color morphs have yellowish ventral fur and a slightly bushy tail that is only slightly tapered.

Habitat. Remnant primary rainforest linked to large tracts of continuous forest.

Food and Feeding. Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possums are known to feed on leaves of at least 37 species of rainforest trees of the families Lauraceae , Elaeocarpaceae , and Rutaceae . These include the blush walnut ( Beilschmiedia obtusifolia), ivory walnut ( Cryptocarya angulata), brown quandong (LElaeocarpus eumundi), butt walnut ( Endiandra sideroxylon), FEuodia sp., Queensland maple ( Flindersia brayleyana), maple silkwood (F pimenteliana), brown bollywood ( Litsea leefeana), and white carabeen ( Sloanea langii). Other species utilized include Eungella satinash (Acmena resa) and bumpy satinash ( Syzygium cormiflorum), both Myrtaceae ; white ash ( Alphitonia petrier) and red ash (A. white), both Rhamnaceae ; brown tamarind ( Castanospora alphandii, Sapindaceae ); dogwood ( Ceratopetalum succirubrum, Cunoniaceae ); and Lamington’s silky oak ( Helicia lamingtoniana, Proteaceae ). Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possums also feed on flowers of Bollywood and fleshy outer coverings of fruit of yellow walnut ( Beilschmiedia bancroftii, Lauraceae ).

Breeding. Pouch of the Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possum contains two teats. One young is produced at a time. Most births occur in August-November, and young are seen riding on their mothers’ backs in October-April.

Activity patterns. Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possums are nocturnal and emerge from their nests just after dark and may not return until dawn is breaking. During the night, they most commonly forage at heights of 11-20 m and make glider-like long leaps of 2-3 m between trees. They are strictly arboreal and are found higher in the canopy than sympatric folivorous ring-tailed possums of similar mass such as the Green and the Herbert River ring-tailed possums. During the day, Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possums use tree hollows and do not construct nests.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possum is more gregarious than most other pseudocheirids; groups of 2-3 individuals are often seen feeding together and sharing a tree hollow nest. Groups of up to eight individuals have been observed. These groups probably consist of an adult male and female and subadults or young-atfoot (that have left the pouch but are not yet weaned). Home ranges of 0-15-1-7 ha are aligned with forest edge. Mean density of the Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possum is 1-9 ind/ha, with a maximum of 4-8 ind/ha. Adults are not known to vocalize to any extent, although juveniles produce a high-pitched hissing squeak when separated from their mothers. Both sexes have a strong musky odor and drag their cloaca along branches, which suggests olfaction is important in communication. Predators of the Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possum include amethystine pythons ( Morelia amethistina), rufous owls (Ninox rufa), lesser sooty-owls (1yto multipunctata), and Spotted-tailed Quolls (Dasyurus maculatus).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. The Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possum occurs in rainforests of northern Queensland in two distinct localities: one population occurs above 450 m in elevation between Ingham and Cairns, and the other, a smaller population, above 1100 m on the Mount Carbine Tableland, west of Mossman. Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possums are very vulnerable to habitat fragmentation because they do not come to the ground to transfer between patches of habitat. One study found that a population declined by more than 99% in forest fragments and secondary regrowth after clearing. The relative inability of Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possums to use corridors means they require large areas of intact primary rainforest and corridors of primary rainforest of at least 200 m in width. They exhibit a suite of traits that makes them particularly vulnerable to forest fragmentation, including beingstrictly arboreal, feeding almost entirely on the leaves of primary forest trees, and requiring a hollow tree-cavity for daytime denning. Although the area of rainforest available to the Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possum has declined as a result of clearing and fragmentation,its total population is thought to be stable.

Bibliography. Burnett & Winter (2008a), Flannery (1994a), Goudberg (1990), Kanowski et al. (2001), Laurance, S.G. & Laurance (1999), Laurance, W.F (1990a, 1990b), Laurance, W.F & Laurance (1996), Laurance, W.F. et al. (2008), McQuade (1984), Wilson et al. (2007), Winter & Atherton (1984), Winter, Moore & Wilson (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 (N Queensland).