NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Green Ring-tailed Possum
Pseudochirops archeri (Collett, 1884)
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 green ringtail possum (Pseudochirops archeri) is a species of ringtail possum found only in northern Australia. This makes it unique in its genus, all other members of which are found in New Guinea or nearby islands. The green ringtail possum is found in a tiny area of northeastern Queensland, between Paluma and Mount Windsor Tableland.
The green ringtail possum gets its name from its fur, which does indeed have a greenish tinge. In reality the fur is olive grey, but it is grizzled with silver, yellow and black hairs, which makes it appear green. It is nocturnal, solitary, and arboreal. It feeds mostly on leaves and is one of the few species that can eat the leaves of the stinger plant (Dendrocnide moroides) which can cause extreme pain with human casualties needing to be hospitalised. It also engages in a practice called coprophagy, where an animal eats its own faeces.
Wikipedia contributors, Green ringtail possum; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:45:36.130574+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pseudochirops archeri (Collett, 1884)
- Name authority
- (Collett, 1884)
- Common name
- Green Ring-tailed Possum
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Diprotodontia
- Family
- Pseudocheiridae
- Genus
- Pseudochirops
- 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
- subfamilyPseudochiropsinae Kirsch, Lapointe & Springer, 1997
- genusPseudochirops Matschie, 1915
- speciesPseudochirops archeri (Collett, 1884)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Pseudochirops. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Reclusive Ring-tailed PossumPseudochirops coronatus (Thomas, 1897) | PseudocheiridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| D'Albertis' RingtailPseudochirops albertisii (Peters, 1874) | PseudocheiridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Coppery Ring-tailed PossumPseudochirops cupreus (Thomas, 1897) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Phalangista archeri Collett, 1884 Collett, 1884 | 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=609831 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:78DMX. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.