MAMMALOGY IB 462

SYSTEMATIC SURVEY OF THE ORDERS

AND FAMILIES, PART I

A study aid to help with the taxa you need to know for the lab

practicals

MONOTREMES

ORDER MONOTREMATA

Family Tachyglossidae “Fast tongue”

Range: Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea

Genus to know: Tachyglossus (Echidna)

Family Ornithorhynchidae “Bird nose”

Range: E. Australia and Tasmania

Genus to know: Ornithorhynchus (Platypus)

MARSUPIALS KEY TRAIT: INFLECTED ANGULAR PROCESS

ORDER DIDELPHIMORPHIA

Family Didelphidae

Range: United States south through South America

Genera to know: Didelphis (Virginia opossum),

Marmosa (Mouse opossum), Philander (Four-eyed

opossum)

Didelphis

Key trait:

Incisors 5/4

Note: Extreme sagittal crest

Marmosa

Philander

ORDER DASYUROMORPHIA

Family Dasyuridae

Range: Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea

Genera to know: Dasyurus (Quoll, marsupial cat),

Sarcophilus (Tasmanian devil)

Key Trait:

Incisors 4/3

Dasyurus

Dasyurus

Note: Pronounced

occipital crest

Sarcophilus

Family Myrmecobiidae

Range: W. Australia

Genus to know: Myrmecobius (Numbat)

Key Traits:

Reduced zygomatic arch

Spherical auditory bullae

Flat sagittal crest

Long snout with many

small, widely-spaced teeth

ORDER PERAMELEMORPHIA

Range: Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea

Family to know: Peramelidae

Genus to know: Isodon

Isodon

Key traits:

• Incisors 4-5/3

• Hind feet syndactylous

• Rostrum long and slender

• Skull flattened

Isodon

ORDER DIPROTODONTIA

Key trait: 2

large, forward-

protruding

lower incisors

Family Phascolarctidae

Range: E. and SE Australia

Genus to know: Phascolarctos (Koala)

Key Traits:

Incisors 3/1

*Largest caecum for

body size (Eucalyptus

diet)

Phascolarctos

Family Vombatidae

Range: SE Australia and Tasmania

Genus to know: Vombatus (Wombat)

Key Trait:

Incisors 1/1

Vombatus

Note: Reduced

auditory bullae

Family Phalangeridae

Range: Australian forests

Possums and cuscuses (only need to know family)

Example in lab: brush-tailed possum, Trichosurus

Trichosurus (Phalangeridae; brush-tailed

possum) skulls

Family Pseudocheiridae

Range: Australian forests

Ringtail possums and greater gliders (only need to

know family)

Example from lab: Greater glider, Petauroides

Greater glider (Petauroides, Pseudocheiridae) skull

Family Petauridae

Range: forests of northern and eastern Australia

Small gliders, striped possum, Leadbeater’s

possum

Genus to know: Petaurus (sugar glider)

All have black stripe on head

Petaurus

Family Acrobatidae

Range: E. Australia wooded habitats

Genus to know: Acrobates (Feathertail glider)

Acrobates

Note: extended

lower incisors

Family Macropodidae

Range: Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea

Genus to know: Macropus (Kangaroo)

Key Trait:

Incisors 3/1

Macropus

Note: Extended paraoccipital processes;

deep depression in masseteric fossa