Leadbeater's Possum, Gymnobelideus leadbeateri

Plate 91. Gymnobelideus leadbeateri (now known as Leadbeater's Possum, Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) found at Bass River

Scientific illustration of a Leadbeater's Possum
PZ 91.6 – Lithographic Print - Leadbeater's Possum, Gymnobelideus leadbeateri, John James Wild, 1884

In general appearance this curious animal is intermediate between Belideus and Phascogale; but its nearest affinity is with the former, from which the absence of the flank-membrane and the different form of the feet distinguish it. There is only one species known, which occurs in the scrub on the banks of the Bass River, in Victoria. I name it after the skilled taxidermist of our Public Museum, in which specimens of both sexes are preserved.

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