Ailurops melanotis (Thomas, 1898)

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Phalangeridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 456-497 : 485-486

7.

Talaud Bear Cuscus

Ailurops melanotis

French: Phalanger des Talaud / German: Talaud-Barenkuskus / Spanish: Cuscus ursino de las Talaud

Taxonomy. Phalanger melanotis Thomas, 1898 ,

“ Lirung , Talaut Islands ” (= Talaud Islands, Pulau Salibabu [= Salebabu], Indonesia).

This species has often been classified as a subspecies of A. ursinus, but it has more recently been recognized as a distinct spe-: cies. No subspecies are recognized., but studies of possible distinctions between Talaud and Sangihe populations are needed. Monotypic.

Distribution. Sangir I (Sangihe Is) and Salibabu I (Talaud Archipelago).

Descriptive notes. Head-body c.45 cm, tail ¢.33-5 cm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Talaud Bear Cuscus is similar in appearance to the Common Bear Cuscus (A. wrsinus) but distinctly smaller, with much more lightly built physique, somewhat shorter tail, and different color. Overall, fur of the Talaud Bear Cuscus is more profusely tipped with yellow than in the Sulawesi Bear Cuscus, and eyes are olive green in color. Fur of the Talaud Bear Cuscusis thick, with the general color of silvery or hoary becoming pale yellow on hands, feet, and furry part oftail. Color is not mixed with longer black hairs, so overall effect is of light yellow pelage with slighter indication of darker suffusion on body, instead of being black with lighter tinge. Ears are short and somewhat hidden within fur. Skull of the Talaud Bear Cuscus is considerably smaller than in other species of Ailurops , and dentition differs from the Common Bear Cuscus in that there is only one lower unicuspid in the diastema between incisor and large premolar (two in the Common Bear Cuscus), and number of upper incisors is either two or three (always three in other species of Ailurops ).

Habitat. Primary forest and gardens immediately surroundings these forests on Sangihe Island and degraded forests and adjacent gardens on Salibabu Island.

Food and Feeding. There is no information available for this species.

Breeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Talaud Bear Cuscus produces one offspring at a time.

Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species.

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

Status and Conservation. Classified as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red List. The Talaud Bear Cuscus, endemic to Indonesia, was originally described based on three 19" specimens collected on Salibabu Island in the isolated Talaud Islands (between Sulawesi and the Philippines). It is not definitively recorded from the larger Talaud island of Karakelang, where it also likely occurred historically. It is known by a single 19" museum specimen from the island of Greater Sangihe in the Sangihe archipelago, where it was documented in 1998 as a small extant population apparently restricted to forests on Mount Sahendaruman. The Talaud Bear Cuscus is known from recent records on only one or two islands, and threats include hunting, capture for animal trade, and forest fragmentation. The Talaud Bear Cuscus appears to be largely dependent on primary forest, which is being reduced and degraded by logging, agriculture, and human settlement. It is also affected by capture for the pet and captive animal trade, with an important route apparently being trade north into the Philippines. Detailed studies of remaining populations of Talaud Bear Cuscuses are crucial because it is probably very close to extinction. This includes the need to search for populations on all sizeable islands in the Talaud and Sangihe archipelagos, not only on Salibabu and Greater Sangihe but also on those islands where it has not been recorded by museum specimens (i.e. Pulau Karakelang and Pulau Kabaruang in the Talauds and Pulau Siau in the Sangihes).

Bibliography. Feiler (1990), Flannery (1995b), Flannery & Helgen (2008), Groves (2005b), Riley (2002).

Figures

1. Common Brush-tailed Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), 2. Coppery Brush-tailed Possum (Trichosurus johnstonii), 3. Short-eared Brush-tailed Possum (Trichosurus caninus), 4. Mountain Brush-tailed Possum (Trichosurus cunningham), 5. Scaly-tailed Possum (Wyulda squamicaudata), 6. Common Bear Cuscus (Aulurops ursinus), 7. Talaud Bear Cuscus (Aulurops melanotis), 8. Mountain Bear Cuscus (Aulurops furvus), 9. Small Sulawesi Cuscus (Strigocuscus celebensis), 10. Small Sangihe Cuscus (Strigocuscus sangirensis)

Distribution. Sangir I (Sangihe Is) and Salibabu I (Talaud Archipelago).