Trichosurus vulpecula

Basic information
Scientific name	Trichosurus vulpecula	(No picture)
Common names	Brushtail possum, Common brushtail
Higher taxon	Phalangeridae, Diprotodontia, Mammalia
Natural range	Australia (including Tasmania).
Habitat	Forest, forest edge. Sometimes houses.

Invasion information
Range in Japan	Not established to Japan
Origin	Unintroduced to Japan.
Date
Route	Deliberate: Imported to Japan as pet in past.
Impact	Predation on small animals (birds and eggs, insects, etc.) and plants. Carrying pests (e.g., bovine tuberculosis). Damages on agriculture. Native organism(s) affected: Small animals (e.g., birds, insects) and vegetation. Bovine (and apparently other mammals).
Regulation in Japan	Import, transport and keeping are prohibited in Japan by the Invasive Alien Species Act.
Introduced range in other countries	New Zealand.

Reference

Notes

Ecol. Soc. Japan (ed) (2002) Handbook of Alien Species in Japan. Chijin-Shokan. (in Jpn)
Ikeda (supervising) DECO (ed) (2006) Dictionary of Alien Species. Tokyo-Shoseki. (in Jpn)
JWRC (ed) (2008) A Photographic Guide to the Invasive Alien Species in Japan. Heibonsha. (in Jpn)
Ministry of the Environment, Japan. The Invasive Alien Species Act (Accessed on 2011-5-26) http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/as.html

100 of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species. All other species of Phalangeridae are designated as Uncategorized Alien Species by the Invasive Alien Species Act (import and keeping in Japan require 6 months investigation for risk assessment).