Phalanger intercastellanus Thomas 1895

Phalanger intercastellanus Thomas 1895, Novit. Zool., 2: 165.

Type Locality: Papua New Guinea, D’Entrecasteaux group, Fergusson Isl.

Vernacular Names: Eastern Common Cuscus.

Synonyms: Phalanger brevinasus Thomas 1895; Phalanger kiriwinae Thomas 1896; Phalanger matsika Tate and Archbold 1935; Phalanger meeki Thomas 1898 .

Distribution: SE Papua New Guinea, east of Markham valley; Sariba, Itoh, Goodenough, Fergusson, Normanby, Kiriwina, Misima, Sudest and Rossel Isl.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (nt) as Queensland subpopulation, otherwise Lower Risk (lc). CITES – Appendix II as P. orientalis .

Discussion: Flannery et al. (1987) suggested that what were hitherto regarded as the southern races of P. orientalis may prove to be specifically, even generically distinct, as Strigocuscus mimicus, and Flannery (1994 a) definitively separated them but used the earlier name intercastellanus . Norris and Musser (2001) returned this species to Phalanger, and separated P. mimicus from it (see below). The species needs revision; at present no subspecies are recognized.