Species Tarsipes rostratus Gervais & Verreaux, 1842
Honey Possum
- Tarsipes rostratus Gervais, P. & Verreaux, J. 1842. Nouveau genre de Didelphe. l'Institut, Journal Universel des Sciences et des Sociétés Savantes en France et à l'Étranger. 1ère Section. Sciences mathématiques, physiques et naturelles. No. 427. 75-76 pp. [publication date established from Mahoney, J.A. 1981. The specific name of the honey possum (Marsupialia: Tarsipedidae: Tarsipes rostratus Gervais & Verreaux, 1842). Australian Mammalogy 4: 135–138] [75] [Gray, J.E. 1842. Description of two new species of Mammalia discovered in Australia by Captain George Grey, Governor of South Australia. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 1 9: 39–42 [8 Mar. 1842; publication date established from Mahoney, J.A. 1981. The specific name of the honey possum (Marsupialia: Tarsipedidae: Tarsipes rostratus Gervais & Verreaux, 1842). Australian Mammalogy 4: 135–138] cites Gervais as the author of Tarsipes, and uses this name sensu Gervais].
Type data:
Lectotype MNHP Nouv. Cat. Gal. Nº 151, Swan River, WA.Subsequent designation references:
Beaufort, F. de 1966. Catalogue des types des mammifères du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris. VI Monotremata. VII Marsupialia. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris [published 1907-1971] 2 38(5): 509-553.Secondary source:
Gray, J.E. 1842. Description of two new species of Mammalia discovered in Australia by Captain George Grey, Governor of South Australia. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 1 9: 39-42 [8 Mar. 1842; publication date established from Mahoney, J.A. 1981. The specific name of the honey possum (Marsupialia: Tarsipedidae: Tarsipes rostratus Gervais & Verreaux, 1842). Australian Mammalogy 4: 135–138]; Mahoney, J.A. 1981. The specific name of the honey possum (Marsupialia: Tarsipedidae: Tarsipes rostratus Gervais & Verreaux, 1842). Australian Mammalogy 4: 135-138. - Tarsipes spenserae Gray, J.E. 1842. Description of two new species of Mammalia discovered in Australia by Captain George Grey, Governor of South Australia. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 1 9: 39-42 [8 Mar. 1842; publication date established from Mahoney, J.A. 1981. The specific name of the honey possum (Marsupialia: Tarsipedidae: Tarsipes rostratus Gervais & Verreaux, 1842). Australian Mammalogy 4: 135–138] [40] [originally described by Gray as a second species of Tarsipes: a junior objective synonym].
Type data:
Holotype BMNH 1842.2.1.32 ♂ adult skin, King George Sound, WA. - Tarsipes spencerae Ride, W.D.L. 1970. A Guide to the Native Mammals of Australia. Melbourne : Oxford University Press xiv 249 pp. 62 pls. [88] [invalid emendation for Tarsipes spenserae Gray, 1842].
Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy
- Mahoney, J.A. 1981. The specific name of the honey possum (Marsupialia: Tarsipedidae: Tarsipes rostratus Gervais & Verreaux, 1842). Australian Mammalogy 4: 135-138 [136]
Distribution
States
Western Australia
IBRA
WA: Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Esperance Plains (ESP), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Jarrah Forest (JF), Mallee (MAL), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Warren (WAR), Yalgoo (YAL)
Ecological Descriptors
Coastal, mellivore, nocturnal, open forest, woodland.
Extra Ecological Information
Common in sandplain heathland.
General References
Collins, B.G., Wooller, R.D. & Richardson, K.C. 1988. Torpor by the honey possum, Tarsipes rostratus (Marsupialia: Tarsipedidae), in response to food shortage and low environmental temperature. Australian Mammalogy 11: 51-57
Cummins, J.M., Temple-Smith, P.D. & Renfree, M.B. 1986. Reproduction in the male honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus: Marsupialia): the epididymus. American Journal of Anatomy 177: 385-402
Du Plessis, J. & Du Plessis, A. 1995. Observations on honey possums. Western Australian Naturalist 20: 49-50
Hayman, D.L. & Sharp, P.J. 1982. The chromosomes of Tarsipes spencerae Gray (Marsupialia). Australian Journal of Zoology 30: 799-803
Kratzing, J.E. 1982. The anatomy of the rostral nasal cavity and vomeronasal organ in Tarsipes rostratus (Marsupialia: Tarsipedidae). Australian Mammalogy 5: 211-219
Landwehr, G.G., Richardson, K.C. & Wooller, R.D. 1990. Sugar preferences of honey possums, Tarsipes rostratus (Marsupialia: Tarsipedidae) and western pygmy possums, Cercatetus concinnus (Marsupialia: Burramyidae). Australian Mammalogy 13: 5-10
Nagy, K., Meienberger, C., Bradshaw, S.D. & Wooller, R.D. 1995. Field metabolic rate of a small marsupial mammal, the honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus). Journal of Mammalogy 76: 862-866
Oates, J.E., Bradshaw, F.J. & Bradshaw, S.D. 2004. The influence of photoperiod on the reproductive activity of female honey possums, Tarsipes rostratus (Marsupialia: Tarsipedidae): assessed by faecal progestagens and oestradiol-17β. General and Comparative Endocrinology 139: 103-112
Renfree, M.B. 1980. Embryonic diapause in the honey possum Tarsipes spencerae. Search 11: 81 (reproduction)
Renfree, M.B. 1995. Honey Possum Tarsipes rostratus. pp. 258-260 in Strahan, R. (ed.). The Mammals of Australia: The National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife. Sydney : Reed New Holland 756 pp.
Renfree, M.B., Russell, E.M. & Wooller, R.D. 1984. Reproduction and life history of the honey possum, Tarsipes rostratus. pp. 427-437 in Smith, A. & Hume, I. (eds). Possums and Gliders. Sydney : Surrey Beatty & Sons, Australian Mammal Society 598 pp.
Richardson, K.C., Wooller, R.D. & Collins, B.G. 1984. The diet of the honey possum Tarsipes rostratus. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia 9: 110-113
Richardson, K.C., Wooller, R.D. & Collins, B.G. 1986. Adaptations to a diet of nectar and pollen in the marsupial Tarsipes rostratus (Marsupialia: Tarsipedidae). Journal of Zoology, London A 208: 285-298
Rosenberg, H.I. & Richardson, K.C. 1995. Cephalic morphology of the honey possum, Tarsipes rostratus (Marsupialia, Tarsipedidae) - an obligate nectarivore. Journal of Morphology 223: 303-323
Russell, E.M. 1986. Observations on the behaviour of the honey possum, Tarsipes rostratus (Marsupialia: Tarsipedidae) in captivity. Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 121: 1-63
Russell, E.M. 1986. Observations on the behaviour of the honey possum, Tarsipes rostratus (Marsupialia: Tarsipedidae) in captivity. Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 121: 1-63
Russell, E.M. & Renfree, M.B. 1989. Tarsipedidae. pp. 769-782 in Walton, D.W. & Richardson, B.J. (eds). Fauna of Australia. Mammalia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 1B 827 pp.
Slaven, M.R. & Richardson, K.C. 1988. Aspects of the form and function of the kidney of the honey possum, Tarsipes rostratus. Australian Journal of Zoology 36: 465-471
Turner, V. 1984. Banksia pollen as a source of protein in the diet of two Australian marsupials Cercartetus nanus and Tarsipes rostratus. Oikos 43: 53-61
Withers, P.C., Richardson, K.C. & Wooller, K.D. 1990. Metabolic physiology of euthermic and torpid honey possums, Tarsipes rostratus. Australian Journal of Zoology 37: 685-693
Wooller, R.D. 1984. Reproduction in Antechinomys laniger ('spenceri' form) (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae): field and laboratory investigations. Australian Wildlife Research 11: 481-489
Wooller, R.D., Renfree, M.B., Russell, E.M., Dunning, A., Green, S.W. & Duncan, P. 1981. Seasonal changes in a population of the nectar-feeding marsupial Tarsipes spencerae (Marsupialia: Tarsipedidae). Journal of Zoology, London 195: 267-279
Wooller, R.D., Richardson, K.C. & Collins, B.G. 1993. The relationship between nectar supply and the rate of capture of a nectar-dependent small marsupial Tarsipes rostratus. Journal of Zoology, London 229: 651-658
Wooller, R.D., Russell, E.M., Renfree, M.B. & Towers, P.A. 1983. A comparison of seasonal changes in the pollen loads of nectarivorous marsupials (Tarsipes) and birds (honeyeaters). Australian Wildlife Research 10: 311-317
Common Name References
ABRS 2001. Census of Australian Vertebrates. Australian Biological Resources Study. (Honey Possum)
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29-Oct-2010 | 29-Oct-2010 | MOVED | ||
| 12-Feb-2010 | (import) |