The development of the reproductive system of the Common Ringtail Possum, Pseudocheirus peregrinus (Marsupialia: Petauridae).

Abstract

Research into the female reproductive system of marsupials has been confined to certain species and has concentrated upon the reproductive system of adults. The reproductive system of Pseudocheirus peregrinus and its development has received little attention. The development of the female reproductive system of P. peregrinus was studied from specimens ranging from six weeks old to fully mature adults. The study, based on anatomical and histological information, showed that the differentiation of the reproductive tract precedes the histological differentiation of the gonads. The tract increased in both length and diameter with the growth of the animal. The blood vessels supplying the reproductive system were also traced and identified and found to be similar to those described in other marsupials. The study confirms the idea that P. peregrinus is more closely related to the Greater Glider, Petauroides volans, than to the Common Brush-tailed Possum, Trichosurus vulpecula.