The genus ''Cercartetus'' is a group of very small possums known as
pygmy possums. Four species comprise this genus, which together with the genus ''
Burramys'' make up the marsupial family
Burramyidae
The pygmy possums are a family of small possums that together form the marsupial family Burramyidae. The five extant species of pygmy possum are grouped into two genera. Four of the species are endemic to Australia, with one species also co-occu ...
.
It has occasionally been presumed that ''Cercaërtus'' was a misspelling or synonym of ''Cercartetus''. However, the name ''Cercaërtus'' is a junior synonym of ''
Trichosurus
The brushtail possums are the members of the genus ''Trichosurus'' in the Phalangeridae, a family of marsupials. They are native to Australia (including Tasmania) and some small nearby islands. Unique among marsupials, they have shifted the hyp ...
'' and not of ''Cercartetus''.
(CI) and the
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
Institute of Science (LIPI) reported on the possible discovery of a new species of ''Cercartetus'' pygmy possum upon visit to the
Foja Mountains
The Foja Mountains (Foja Range, Foya Mountains) ( id, Pegunungan Foja) are located just north of the Mamberamo river basin in Papua, Indonesia. The mountains rise to , and have 3,000 square kilometers of old growth tropical rainforest in the inte ...
in June 2007.
Species
*Genus ''Cercartetus''
**
Long-tailed pygmy possum, ''Cercartetus caudatus''
**
Southwestern pygmy possum, ''Cercartetus concinnus''
**
Tasmanian pygmy possum
The Tasmanian pygmy possum (''Cercartetus lepidus''), also known as the little pygmy possum or tiny pygmy possum, is the world's smallest possum. It was first described by Oldfield Thomas in 1888, after he identified that a museum specimen labe ...
, ''Cercartetus lepidus''
**
Eastern pygmy possum
The eastern pygmy possum (''Cercartetus nanus'') is a diprotodont marsupial of south-eastern Australia. Occurring from southern Queensland to eastern South Australia and also Tasmania, it is found in a range of habitats, including rainforest, s ...
, ''Cercartetus nanus''
References
Possums
Marsupials of Australia
Marsupial genera
Extant Pleistocene first appearances
Taxa named by C. L. Gloger
{{Diprotodont-stub