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)
Key trait:
Incisors 5/4
Didelphis
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
Note: Pronounced
occipital crest
Dasyurus
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

Key traits:
• Incisors 4-5/3
• Hind feet syndactylous
• Rostrum long and slender
• Skull flattened
Isodon
Isodon
ORDER DIPROTODONTIA
Key trait: 2
large, forwardprotruding
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
Note: Reduced
auditory bullae
Vombatus

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)
Note: extended
lower incisors
Acrobates

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