Black-spotted cuscus
| Black-spotted cuscus | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Family: | Phalangeridae |
| Genus: | Spilocuscus |
| Species: | S. rufoniger |
| Binomial name | |
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Spilocuscus rufoniger (Zimara, 1937) |
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| Black-spotted cuscus range | |
The black-spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus rufoniger) is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is among the largest members of the family, only being surpassed by the bear cuscus. It is a relatively colourful species found in forests of northern New Guinea. It is threatened by hunting and habitat loss, and has already disappeared from large parts of its range. Consequently, it is rated as Critically Endangered by IUCN.
The family Phalangeridae originated from the Australian rainforests by the early Miocene epoch. Since then, cuscuses have successfully diversified from the Phalangerids. Current research has indicated that the Trichosurini (possums) separated from the cuscuses that comprised the extant Phalangerids approximately 23 to 29 million years ago. This split supports the surfacing of Sulawesi and New Guinea. The emergence of these land masses implies that the ancestors of the cuscuses traveled to the New Guinea region that appeared while the Trichosurini stayed in Australia. Shortly after this event, around 19 to 24 million years ago, the cuscuses divided into two groups. The first group consists of Ailurops and Strigocuscus celebensis, and the second consists of Phalanger and Spilocuscus, which currently has five species remaining. Out of these five, three are endangered, with Spilocuscus rufoniger being one of them.
There is a masseteric process present in Spilocuscus rufoniger, which is unique to marsupials. There are also inflated frontal sinuses present in the species, which is thought to be a derived characteristic within the family Phalangeridae. Thus, certain distinct features of the black-spotted cuscuses allow them to be classified them as marsupials in the family Phalangeridae.
The black-spotted cuscus is indigenous to the island of New Guinea. Although the species is spread throughout northern New Guinea, it has been commonly seen in Sattelberg, a village in the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. It dwells in undisturbed lower-montane, tropical, primary forests and lowland areas of thick brushwood below 1200 meters in elevation. Black-spotted cuscuses have been located in secondary forests as well.
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