Mammal expert Kris Helgen is seen holding a golden-mantled tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus pulcherrimus) in New Guinea. Photo from Conservation International.

Golden-mantled tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus pulcherrimus) in New Guinea. Photo by Bruce Beehler of Conservation International.

Golden-mantled tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus pulcherrimus), Indonesia [AP 2006-02-07]

Description

In this undated photo released by Conservation International, a golden-mantled tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus pulcherrimus) is seen after being discovered on Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) expedition to the Foya Mountains in Indonesia's easternmost Papua province in December 2005. Scientists discovered a 'Lost World' in an isolated Indonesian jungle, identifying dozens of new species of frogs, butterflies and plants _ as well as large mammals hunted to near extinction elsewhere, members of the expedition said Tuesday, Feb. 7 2006. This was first record of the species in Indonesia and the second known site on earth where it is known to exist. (AP Photo/Conservation International, Bruce Beehler, HO)

Source: AP - http://www.ap.org

A team of scientists led by Conservation International (CI) found dozens of new species in a survey of New Guinea's Foja Mountains. The December 2005 trip by a team of U.S., Indonesian, and Australian scientists discovered new species of frogs, butterflies, plants, and an orange-faced honeyeater, the first new bird from the island of New Guinea in more than 60 years.

The discoveries were made under CI's Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) which deploys expert scientists to poorly understood regions in order to quickly assess the biological diversity of an area. The conservation organization makes RAP results immediately available to local and international decision makers to help support conservation action and biodiversity protection.

Mammal expert Kris Helgen is seen holding a golden-mantled tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus pulcherrimus) in New Guinea. Photo from Conservation International.

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"It's as close to the Garden of Eden as you're going to find on Earth," said Bruce Beehler, vice president of CI's Melanesia Center for Biodiversity Conservation and a co-leader of the expedition. "The first bird we saw at our camp was a new species. Large mammals that have been hunted to near extinction elsewhere were here in abundance. We were able to simply pick up two Long-Beaked Echidnas, a primitive egg-laying mammal that is little known."

The expedition found a new large mammal for Indonesia – the Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus pulcherrimus), formerly known from only a single mountain in neighboring Papua New Guinea. Other discoveries included what may be the largest rhododendron flower on record – almost six inches across – along with more than 20 new frogs and four new butterflies. The new species of honeyeater, the first new bird discovered on the island of New Guinea since 1939, has a bright orange face-patch with a pendant wattle under each eye.

New Guinea's forests are some of the most biodiverse in the world, but they are increasingly under threat from commercial logging. However, the Foja Mountains of western New Guinea are so isolated – in the furthest reaches of the Indonesian province of West Papua - they remain relatively untouched. In other parts of Indonesia poaching is taking a heavy toll on wildlife populations.

Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo

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Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo^[1]

Conservation status

Endangered^[1]

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Diprotodontia
Family:	Macropodidae
Genus:	Dendrolagus
Species:	D. pulcherrimus

Binomial name

Dendrolagus pulcherrimus
Flannery, 1993

The Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus pulcherrimus is a species of tree-kangaroo native and endemic to montane forests of northern New Guinea. It has chestnut brown short coat with a pale belly, and yellowish neck, cheeks and feet. A double golden stripe runs down its back. The tail is long and has pale rings.

Its appearance is similar to the closely related Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo. It differs from the latter by having a pinkish or lighter color face, golden shoulders, white ears and smaller size. Some authorities consider the Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo as a subspecies of Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo.

The Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo was discovered in 1990 by Pavel German in Mount Sapau, Torricelli Mountains region of Papua New Guinea. In addition to the Torricelli Mountains, it also occurs in the nearby Foja Mountains in Indonesia. The latter population is often reported as being discovered on an expedition in December 2005, but it was known from this mountain range before that.^[2]

The Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo is considered as one of the most endangered of all tree-kangaroos. It is extinct in most of its original range. It is not rated by IUCN, where included as a subspecies of Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo.

References

^ ^a ^b Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 60. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
^ Flannery, T. 1995. Mammals of New Guinea. Reed Books. ISBN 0 7301 0411 7