Phalangerida is one of the two former suborders of the large marsupial order Diprotodontia. This large and diverse suborder included kangaroos, wallabies, quokkas, possums, gliding possum-like marsupials and others. The much smaller suborder Vombatiformes encompasses only the koalas and wombats. This suborder is no longer considered to accurately describe the diversity in Diprotodontia.
Phalangerida | |
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Ground cuscus | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
Order: | Diprotodontia |
Suborder: | Phalangerida |
Families | |
Phalangeridae: brushtail possums and cuscuses |
Phalangeriformes has come to replace Phalangerida but does not include the potoroos (Potoroidae), kangaroos and wallabies (Macropodidae) or the musky rat-kangaroo (Hypsiprymnodontidae). These families are now placed in a new suborder named Macropodiformes.
References
editKear, B.P. & Cooke, B.N., 2001:12!20. A review of macropodoid systematics with the inclusion of a new family. Memoirs of the Association of Australasian Palaeontologists 25, 83–101. ISSN 0810-8889