Pseudochirops corinnae

18.

Plush-coated Ring-tailed Possum

Pseudochirops corinnae

French: Possum de Corinna / German: Glanz-Ringbeutler / Spanish: Falangero de cola anillada de felpa

Other common names: Golden Ringtail Possum, Plush-coated Ringtail

Taxonomy. Pseudochirus corinnae Thomas, 1897,

“ Mountains of Vanapa, British New Guinea [= Papua New Guinea].”

Three subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P.c.contmnaeThomas,1897—WNewGuinea,W&CsectionsoftheCentralRange.

P.c.argenteusForster,1913—ENewGuinea,EsectionoftheCentralRangeandHuonPeninsula.

P. c. fuscus Laurie, 1952 — SE New Guinea.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 30-37 cm, tail 26-37 cm; weight 0-92—1-3 kg. The Plushcoated Ring-tailed Possum is most similar to the Coppery Ring-tailed Possum (P. cupreus) and D’Albertis’s Ring-tailed Possum (P. albertisii), but it differs from them in being silvery-green rather than copper-colored and having three parallel stripes of varying distinctiveness running down its back. It is hairier than the Coppery Ringtailed Possum and distinctly smaller than that species.

Habitat. Undisturbed and advanced secondary forests at elevations of 900-2900 m.

Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Plush-coated Ring-tailed Possum is no doubt folivorous, similar to related species.

Breeding. Not much is known ofits reproduction of the Plush-coated Ring-tailed Possum other than that it appears to produce a single young. A small pouch young was observed in February.

Activity patterns. During the day, Plush-coated Ring-tailed Possums sleep on exposed branches, as do Green Ring-tailed Possums (P. archeri). Plush-coated Ring-tailed Possums are occasionally found in tree hollows.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. Populations of Plush-coated Ring-tailed Possums are decreasing. Its conservation status is of concern because it has declined in abundance substantially in parts ofits distribution and may have been completely lost in some areas because of overhunting. The Plushcoated Ring-tailed Possum also appears to be sensitive to habitat loss as its major population coincides with intensive agricultural activity.

Bibliography. Flannery (1994a, 1995a), Leary, Singadan, Menzies, Wright et al. (2008).