earth science

Phalangeriformes

Phalangeriformes is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Phalangeriformes rather than just read about it. In short: Phalangeriformes are quadrupedal marsupials with long tails. They are a paraphyletic suborder of Diprotodontia, consisting of about 70 species of small to medium-sized marsupials native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi.

Key takeaways

Phalangeriformes belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Phalangeriformes to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Phalangeriformes from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Phalangeriformes are quadrupedal marsupials with long tails. They are a paraphyletic suborder of Diprotodontia, consisting of about 70 species of small to medium-sized marsupials native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi. It includes possums, gliders, and cuscus. Phalangeriformes species are typically nocturnal and at least partially arboreal. They mostly inhabit vegetated habitats, and several species have adjusted well to urban settings. Diets range from generalist herbivores or omnivores (the common brushtail possum) to specialist browsers of eucalyptus (greater glider), insectivores (mountain pygmy possum) and nectar-feeders (honey possum). The smallest phalangeriforme species, indeed the smallest diprotodont marsupial, is the Tasmanian pygmy possum, with an adult head-body length of 70 mm (2+3⁄4 in) and a weight of 10 g (3⁄8 oz). The largest are the two species of bear cuscus, which may exceed 7 kg (15 lb 7 oz). The common name "possum" for various Phalangeriformes species derives from the creatures' resemblance to the opossums of the Americas (the term comes from Powhatan language aposoum "white animal", from Proto-Algonquian *wa·p-aʔɬemwa "white dog"). However, although opossums are also marsupials, Australasian possums are more closely related to other Australasian marsupials such as kangaroos.

Classification

About two-thirds of Australian marsupials belong to the order Diprotodontia, which is split into three suborders, namely the Vombatiformes (wombats and the koala, four species in total); the large and diverse Phalangeriformes (the possums and gliders) and Macropodiformes (kangaroos, potoroos, wallabies and the musky rat-kangaroo). Note: this classification is based on Ruedas & Morales 2005. However, Phalangeriformes has been recovered as paraphyletic with respect to Macropodiformes, rendering the latter a subset of the former if Phalangeriformes are to be considered a natural group. Classification:

Suborder Phalangeriformes: possums, gliders and allies Superfamily Phalangeroidea Family †Ektopodontidae: Genus †Ektopodon †Ektopodon serratus †Ektopodon stirtoni †Ektopodon ulta Family Burramyidae: (pygmy possums) Genus Burramys Mountain pygmy possum, B. parvus Genus Cercartetus Long-tailed pygmy possum, C. caudatus Southwestern pygmy possum, C. concinnus Tasmanian pygmy possum, C. lepidus Eastern pygmy possum, C. nanus Family Phalangeridae: (brushtail possums and cuscuses) Subfamily Ailuropinae Genus Ailurops Talaud bear cuscus, A. melanotis Sulawesi bear cuscus, A. ursinus Genus Strigocuscus Sulawesi dwarf cuscus, S. celebensis Banggai cuscus, S. pelegensis Subfamily Phalangerinae Tribe Phalangerini Genus Phalanger Gebe cuscus, P. alexandrae Mountain cuscus, P. carmelitae Ground cuscus, P. gymnotis Eastern common cuscus, P. intercastellanus Woodlark cuscus, P. lullulae Blue-eyed cuscus, P. matabiru Telefomin cuscus, P. matanim Southern common cuscus, P. mimicus Northern common cuscus, P. orientalis Ornate cuscus, P. ornatus Rothschild's cuscus, P. rothschildi Silky cuscus, P. sericeus Stein's cuscus, P. vestitus Genus Spilocuscus Admiralty Island cuscus, S. kraemeri Common spotted cuscus, S. maculatus Waigeou cuscus, S. papuensis Black-spotted cuscus, S. rufoniger Blue-eyed spotted cuscus, S. wilsoni Tribe Trichosurini Genus Trichosurus Northern brushtail possum, T. arnhemensis Short-eared possum, T. caninus Mountain brushtail possum, T. cunninghami Coppery brushtail possum, T. johnstonii Common brushtail possum, T. vulpecula Genus Wyulda Scaly-tailed possum, W. squamicaudata Superfamily Petauroidea Family Pseudocheiridae: (ring-tailed possums and allies) Subfamily Hemibelideinae Genus Hemibelideus Lemur-like ringtail possum, H. lemuroides Genus Tous Ring-tailed glider, T. ayamaruensis Genus Petauroides Central greater glider, P. armillatus Northern greater glider, P. minor Southern greater glider, P. volans Subfamily Pseudocheirinae Genus Petropseudes Rock-haunting ringtail possum, P. dahli Genus Pseudocheirus Common ringtail possum, P. peregrinus Western ringtail possum, P. occidentalis Genus Pseudochirulus Lowland ringtail possum, P. canescens Weyland ringtail possum, P. caroli Cinereus ringtail possum, P. cinereus Painted ringtail possum, P. forbesi Herbert River ringtail possum, P. herbertensis Masked ringtail possum, P. larvatus Pygmy ringtail possum, P. mayeri Vogelkop ringtail possum, P. schlegeli Subfamily Pseudochiropsinae Genus Pseudochirops D'Albertis' ringtail possum, P. albertisii Green ringtail possum, P. archeri Plush-coated ringtail possum, P. corinnae Reclusive ringtail possum, P. coronatus Coppery ringtail possum, P. cupreus Family Petauridae: (striped possum, Leadbeater's possum, yellow-bellied glider, sugar glider, mahogany glider, squirrel glider) Subfamily Dactylopsilinae Genus Dactylopsila Great-tailed triok, D. megalura Long-fingered triok, D. palpator Tate's triok, D. tatei Striped possum, D. trivirgata Genus Dactylonax Pygmy long-fingered possum, D. kambuayai Subfamily Petaurinae Genus Gymnobelideus Leadbeater's possum, G. leadbeateri Genus Petaurus Northern glider, P. abidi Savanna glider, P. ariel Yellow-bellied glider, P. australis Biak glider, P. biacensis Sugar glider, P. breviceps Mahogany glider, P. gracilis Squirrel glider, P. norfolcensis Krefft's glider, P. notatus Family Tarsipedidae: (honey possum) Genus Tarsipes Honey possum or noolbenger, T. rostratus Family Acrobatidae: (feathertail glider and feather-tailed possum) Genus Acrobates Feathertail glider, A. pygmaeus Genus Distoechurus Feather-tailed possum, D. pennatus

The following cladogram is based on information from Álvarez-Carretero et al. 2022:

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Phalangeriformes

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Phalangeriformes claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Phalangeriformes before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Phalangeriformes ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Phalangeriformes

In research: Phalangeriformes appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Phalangeriformes in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Phalangeriformes is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Diprotodonts, Extant Oligocene first appearances, Marsupials of Oceania, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Phalangeriformes outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Phalangeriformes in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Phalangeriformes means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Phalangeriformes out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Phalangeriformes in simple terms?

Why does Phalangeriformes matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Phalangeriformes?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Phalangeriformes.