Phalangista vulpina Desmarest, 1817

(Figs 23; 102-106)

Phalangista vulpina Desmarest, 1817a: 475 .

COMMON NAME. — Common Brush-tailed Possum.

CURRENT NAME. — Trichosurus vulpecula (Kerr, 1792)

(see Jackson & Groves 2015: 128), and Helgen & Jackson (2015: 483).

COLLECTOR/S. — Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, contra de Beaufort (1966: 527) who mentioned both Péron and Lesueur as its collectors. COLLECTION LOCALITY. — Near Port Jackson (Sydney), New South Wales, Australia. COLLECTION DATE. — Between 3 July and 18 November 1802. SPECIMEN NUMBER/S. — MNHN-ZM-MO-1999-34 (Fig. 23), holotype, skin mount (de Beaufort 1966: 527).

OTHER NUMBER/S. — Ancien Cat. Gal. 167, Nouv. Cat. Gal. 229 (de Beaufort, 1966: 527).

ILLUSTRATIONS. — Illustrated by Charles-Alexandre Lesueur – Muséum d’Histoire naturelle du Havre, Inv. no. 80090, 80091 and 80092 (Figs 102-104; two live animals), Inv. no. 80275 (Fig. 105; skull), and Inv. no. 80266 (Fig. 106; sketch of phalangerid skeleton). Sometimes, the species referred to in Figure 103 have been referred to as the Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possum (Baglione & Crémière 2009: 169; 2016: 165). However, the prominent chest scent glands and general shape suggest these animals are more likely Brush-tailed Possums. Given that this species is rare and confined to the rainforests of North Queensland, where the Baudin expedition did not venture, its collection is very unlikely. Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possum was not formally collected until the expedition of Carl Lumholtz (1889: 196) to North Queensland between 1880 and 1884.