Petauroides minor (Collett, 1887)

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 : 521-522

3.

Northern Greater Glider

Petauroides minor

French: Possum mineur / German: Nordlicher Gro 3flugbeutler / Spanish: Falangero planeador grande septentrional

Taxonomy. Petaurista volans var. minor Collett, 1887 ,

type locality not given. Restricted by O. Thomas in 1923 to “ Herbert Vale , North Queensland [ Australia].”

Until recently, this species was considered a subspecies of P. volans . Monotypic.

Distribution. NE Australia in NE Queensland, from just N of Cairns (Windsor Tableland) S to Townsville.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 30-40 cm, tail 40-48 cm; weight 700-900 g. The Northern Greater Glider is smaller than all southern species of pseudocheirids. It differs from the Southern Greater Glider ( P. volans ) in having a more slender body with shorter ears that lack a post-auricular pale spot, and fur on back and flanks is more evenly hued. Distinct mid-dorsal stripe is usually present on head and tail. Unlike the two other species of greater gliders in Queensland, only hands and feet of the Northern Greater Glider are dark-furred, and pale gray fur below is restricted to base oftail. Similar to other greater gliders, the Northern Greater Glider has a gliding membrane that extends from its elbow to ankle on each side of the abdomen.

Habitat. Tropical sclerophyll forest.

Food and Feeding. Observations of feeding behavior reveal that Northern Greater Gliders most often consume leaves and flower buds of species in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae ) such as Eucalyptus acmenoides , E. intermedia, E. tereticornis, E. crebra, and Corymbia citriodora . They have occasionally feed on Allocasuarina torulosa (Casuarinaceae) , and there is one record of feeding on Lophostemon suaveolens (Myrtaceae) . Northern Greater Gliders selectively feed on some species in some months of the year and avoid them in others.

Breeding. Little is known about the breeding activities of the Northern Greater Glider, but they are probably similar to those of the Southern Greater Glider. Extensive overlap of home ranges suggests a polygamous breeding system.

Activity patterns. Individual Northern Greater Gliders spend most of their time resting (40-4%) and feeding (33%). Moving (12:5%) and grooming (5-5%) behaviors are less commonly observed. Social interactions between individual Northern Greater Gliders are rarely seen: two individuals in one study were seen in the same tree in only 7% of the observations.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Northern Greater Gliders have home ranges of 1-:3—4-2 ha for males and 0-9-1-7 ha for females, with core ranges of 0-1-0-8 ha for males and 0-1-0-4 ha females. There is extensive overlap of home ranges within and between sexes, which suggests a polygamous mating system. Northern Greater Gliders nest in tree hollows; nests have been recorded in Eucalyptus acmenoides , E. tereticornis, E. intermedia, E. crebra, C. citriodora, and dead trees of undetermined species. Generally, each individual uses 4-6 different dens in any one month, but 1-2 dens are occupied most frequently. These dens are typically located inside core areas and only occasionally are situated outside core areas. Although Northern Greater Gliders are mainly solitary, mates may share a den during the breeding season. Individuals in adjacent home ranges may actively avoid each other, but when social interactions do occur they are generally non-aggressive, although agonistic behavior has occasionally been observed between males and between females. Four primary types of social interactions have been observed between males and females: “nasaling,” or brief mutual sniffing of snouts without any audible vocalization, an infrequent behavior usually occurring when individuals first meet during the night, or whenever frequently interact ing individuals met in passing; mutual sniffing, which occurs between males and females who are regular consorts and involves sniffing various parts of the partner’s body (generally tail and flanks); climbing, during which each glider alternately climbs over the top of the other, and in so doing applies its ventral surface to the dorsal area of the other glider; and sitting within 1 m of another glider and remaining inactive or occasionally foraging on nearby leaves—the most common interaction observed. More than 90% ofall observations of Northern Greater Gliders have been of an individual alone in a tree, despite high densities of 3-3-3-8 ind/ha. Rufous owls (Ninox rufa) are likely predators of the Northern Greater Glider.

Status and Conservation. The Northern Greater Glider has not yet been assessed for The IUCN Red List. Given its recent recognition, its conservation status is unknown.

Bibliography. Comport et al. (1996), Thomas (1923c).

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 in NE Queensland, from just N of Cairns (Windsor Tableland) S to Townsville.