Reassessment of the subspecific status of the Australian Wet Tropics yellow-bellied glider, Petaurus australis

Abstract

The Wet Tropics (WT) population of the yellow-bellied glider Petaurus australis Shaw, 1791 in North Queensland is listed as Endangered at the state and national level, but its taxonomic classification is currently uncertain. Here we expand on previous genetic and morphological analyses of the WT population with additional samples and genetic loci to re-assess its subspecific status. Phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4) gene showed that the WT population formed a reciprocally monophyletic group relative to a group comprising P. australis from its remaining distribution in Australia. The genetic distinction of the WT population was further corroborated by analyses of the nuclear gene von Willebrand factor. Molecular clock analyses of combined ND2–ND4 data suggested that the WT population has been isolated from neighbouring populations in southern Queensland over multiple ice age cycles. Morphological analyses show that the WT gliders are smaller, with proportionally shortened faces, and have paler bellies compared to southern yellow-bellied gliders. We, therefore, propose that the WT population be recognised as a distinct subspecies which we herein describe. This taxonomic reassessment of P. australis has important implications for the ongoing conservation management of the WT population and yellow-bellied gliders throughout Australia.