NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Masked Ring-tailed Possum
Pseudochirulus larvatus (Förster & Rothschild, 1911)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The masked ringtail possum (Pseudochirulus larvatus) is a marsupial possum of the family Pseudocheiridae. It inhabits tropical and subtropical forests in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Masked ringtails are arboreal residents of various forest ecosystems. This species is sometimes classified as a subpopulation of P. forbesi; however, it has a separate range.
Wikipedia contributors, Masked ringtail possum; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:06:51.048026+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pseudochirulus larvatus (Förster & Rothschild, 1911)
- Name authority
- (Förster & Rothschild, 1911)
- Common name
- Masked Ring-tailed Possum
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Diprotodontia
- Family
- Pseudocheiridae
- Genus
- Pseudochirulus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassMetatheria Huxley, 1880
- orderDiprotodontia Owen, 1866
- suborderPhalangeriformes Szalay in Archer, 1982
- superfamilyPetauroidea Bonaparte, 1838
- familyPseudocheiridae Winge, 1893
- subfamilyPseudocheirinae Winge, 1893
- genusPseudochirulus Matschie, 1915
- speciesPseudochirulus larvatus (Förster & Rothschild, 1911)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Pseudochirulus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Pygmy Ring-tailed PossumPseudochirulus mayeri (Rothschild & Dollman, 1932) | PseudocheiridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Weyland Ring-tailed PossumPseudochirulus caroli (Thomas, 1921) | PseudocheiridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Arfak Ring-tailed PossumPseudochirulus schlegeli (Jentink, 1884) | PseudocheiridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Phalanger larvatus Förster & Rothschild, 1911 Förster & Rothschild, 1911 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=709426 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4NTF2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.