Molecular systematics and evolutionary origins of the genus Petaurus (Marsupialia: Petauridae) in Australia and New Guinea

Threatened populations of the Australian squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) show evidence of evolutionary distinctiveness on a Late Pleistocene timescale

“…Although few previous phylogeographic studies on species found on both sides of the Great Dividing Range have explicitly assessed it as a barrier, some do report patterns for which it might be inferred to be responsible. For example, sugar glider populations form two Australian clades: one occurring inland from South Australia to north Queensland, and a second coastally from mid-New South Wales to southern Queensland (Malekian et al 2009). Similarly, common brushtail possums from south-west Queensland form a clade with those from inland southern regions rather than with coastal Queensland regions (Taylor and Foulkes 2004).…”

“…In the late Miocene-mid Pliocene (4-9 MY ago) following a dispersal event from New Guinea, the ancestor of the squirrel and mahogany (P. gracilis) gliders split from the ancestor of Australian P. breviceps, which subsequently itself formed two clades, roughly inland and coastal, 3-7 MY ago (Malekian et al 2009). The most recent common ancestor of contemporary squirrel gliders evolved by the early-to mid-Pleistocene (0.5-2 MY ago; BEAST analysis).…”

“…As a result, the squirrel glider is on the Victorian threatened species list (Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988). Its current status in South Australia is uncertain as the last collections of the species were from the 1990s and it had previously been considered extinct (Malekian et al 2009). It is also listed as 'vulnerable' under the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995).…”

The towering orogeny of New Guinea as a trigger for arthropod megadiversity

“…The general approach has been used for studies of birds 10,[16][17][18] , fishes 10 and mammals [19][20][21][22][23] . Results suggest that species-level diversification within New Guinea has been recent (o5 Ma), corroborating geological evidence that dates substantial landmass formation to o10 Ma 24,25 .…”

A multilocus coalescent analysis of the speciational history of the Australo-Papuan butcherbirds and their allies

“…Recent attempts using time-calibrated phylogenies have supported the hypothesis that increasing aridity from 25 Ma allowed the diversification of arid-adapted lineages in Australia (e.g. Crisp et al, 2004;Meredith et al, 2008;Fujita et al, 2010;Pepper et al, 2011;Toon et al, 2012), and that the proto-New Guinean islands supported biota prior to the formation of the New Guinean landmass (Joseph et al, 2001Krajewski et al, 2004;Westerman et al, 2006;Roelants et al, 2007;Malekian et al, 2010;Macqueen et al, 2010;Jønsson et al, 2011;Toon et al, 2012). However, there are still too few studies incorporating multilocus datasets and complete sampling of extant taxa and key geographic regions (e.g.…”