ELECTROPHORETIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SYSTEMATICS OF THE PHALANGER-ORIENTALIS (MARSUPIALIA) SPECIES COMPLEX IN PAPUA-NEW-GUINEAAND THE SOLOMON-ISLANDS
D. Colgan et al., ELECTROPHORETIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SYSTEMATICS OF THE PHALANGER-ORIENTALIS (MARSUPIALIA) SPECIES COMPLEX IN PAPUA-NEW-GUINEAAND THE SOLOMON-ISLANDS, Australian journal of zoology, 41(4), 1993, pp. 355-378
Three electrophoretically and morphologically distinct populations pre
viously referred to Phalanger orientalis are recognised within Papua N
ew Guinea and the Solomon Islands: Phalanger orientalis orientalis fro
m northern Papua New Guinea and some nearby offshore islands, Phalange
r orientalis breviceps from the Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islan
ds, and Phalanger intercastellanus from eastern and southern Papua New
Guinea and the islands of Milne Bay. P. o. orientalis is genetically
and geographically relatively uniform. P. o. breviceps may have been i
ntroduced by humans over most of its range, and it is extremely variab
le, even within island populations. P. intercastellanus shows consider
able intraspecific geographic variation, and is genetically divergent
from P. o. orientalis (Nei's unbiased distance of 0.216) and P. o. bre
viceps (Nei's unbiased distance of 0.171). Indeed, this divergence is
so marked that the previously recognised taxa Phalanger carmelitae and
Phalanger vestitus are apparently genetically closer to P. orientalis
than to P. intercastellanus.