Pseudocheiridae (Marsupialia: Diprotodontia) is a family of endemic Australasian arboreal folivores, more commonly known as ringtail possums. Seventeen extant species are grouped into six genera (Pseudocheirus, Pseudochirulus, Hemibelideus, Petauroides, Pseudochirops, Petropseudes). Pseudochirops and Pseudochirulus are the only genera with representatives on New Guinea and surrounding western islands. Here, we examine phylogenetic relationships among 13 of the 17 extant pseudocheirid species based on protein-coding portions of the ApoB, BRCA1, ENAM, IRBP, Rag1, and vWF genes. Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian methods were used to estimate phylogenetic relationships. Two different relaxed molecular clock methods were used to estimate divergence times. Bayesian and maximum parsimony methods were used to reconstruct ancestral character states for geographic provenance and maximum elevation occupied. We find robust support for the monophyly of Pseudocheirinae (Pseudochirulus + Pseudocheirus), Hemibelidinae (Hemibelideus + Petauroides), and Pseudochiropsinae (Pseudochirops + Petropseudes), respectively, and for an association of Pseudocheirinae and Hemibelidinae to the exclusion of Pseudochiropsinae. Within Pseudochiropsinae, Petropseudes grouped more closely with the New Guinean Pseudochirops spp. than with the Australian Pseudochirops archeri, rendering Pseudochirops paraphyletic. New Guinean species belonging to Pseudochirops are monophyletic, as are New Guinean species belonging to Pseudochirulus. Molecular dates and ancestral reconstructions of geographic provenance combine to suggest that the ancestors of extant New Guinean Pseudochirops spp. and Pseudochirulus spp. dispersed from Australia to New Guinea ∼12.1–6.5 Ma (Pseudochirops) and ∼6.0–2.4 Ma (Pseudochirulus). Ancestral state reconstructions support the hypothesis that occupation of high elevations (>3000 m) is a derived feature that evolved on the terminal branch leading to Pseudochirops cupreus, and either evolved in the ancestor of Pseudochirulus forbesi, Pseudochirulus mayeri, and Pseudochirulus caroli, with subsequent loss in P. caroli, or evolved independently in P. mayeri and P. forbesi. Divergence times within the New Guinean Pseudochirops clade are generally coincident with the uplift of the central cordillera and other highlands. Diversification within New Guinean Pseudochirulus occurred in the Plio-Pleistocene after the establishment of the Central Range and other highlands.

中文翻译：

---

澳大利亚和新几内亚假手足科（有袋动物：Diprotodontia）进化的系统发育和时间尺度

假手足科（Marsupialia：Diprotodontia）是澳大利亚特有的树栖食叶动物科，通常称为环尾负鼠。17 个现存的物种被分为六个属（假手足目、假手足目、半贝里德斯目、长足目、假手足目、石足目）。Pseudochirops 和 Pseudochirulus 是唯一在新几内亚和周围西部岛屿上有代表的属。在这里，我们基于 ApoB、BRCA1、ENAM、IRBP、Rag1 和 vWF 基因的蛋白质编码部分检查了 17 种现存假手足物种中的 13 种之间的系统发育关系。最大简约、最大似然和贝叶斯方法用于估计系统发育关系。使用两种不同的松弛分子钟方法来估计发散时间。贝叶斯和最大简约方法用于重建地理来源和最大海拔占用的祖先特征状态。我们分别找到了对 Pseudocheirinae (Pseudochiirulus + Pseudocheirus)、Hemibelidinae (Hemibelideus + Petauroides) 和 Pseudochiropsinae (Pseudochirops + Petropseudes) 的单系以及 Pseudocheirinae 和 Hemibelidinae 的排除关联的有力支持。在 Pseudochiropsinae 中，Petropseudes 与新几内亚 Pseudochirops spp 更接近。与澳大利亚 Pseudochirops archeri 相比，呈现 Pseudochirops 并系。属于 Pseudochirops 的新几内亚物种是单系的，属于 Pseudochirops 的新几内亚物种也是单系的。分子日期和地理来源的祖先重建相结合，表明现存的新几内亚假手足的祖先。和 Pseudohirulus spp。从澳大利亚分散到新几内亚~12.1-6.5 Ma（假手足目）和~6.0-2.4 Ma（假手足目）。祖先状态重建支持以下假设，即占领高海拔 (>3000 m) 是在导致 Pseudochirops cupreus 的末端分支上进化的派生特征，并且要么在 Pseudochirops forbesi、Pseudohirulus mayeri 和 Pseudochirops caroli 的祖先中进化，随后P. caroli 中的损失，或在 P. mayeri 和 P. forbesi 中独立进化。新几内亚 Pseudochirops 分支内的发散时间通常与中央山脉和其他高地的隆起一致。