Rediscovery of the scaly-tailed possum (Wyulda squamicaudata) in the eastern Kimberley

The tropical mammal fauna of Australia is both understudied and, in some cases, imperiled, and the former hinders a complete understanding of the latter. An enigmatic and poorly understood species is the scaly-tailed possum (Wyulda squamicaudata), a species endemic to the Kimberley Region, Western Australia. We describe the rediscovery of the scaly-tailed possum in the east Kimberley, where it has not been recorded since 1917. The discovery: (1) reinforces the hitherto-questioned validity of the east Kimberley record; (2) confirms an extension of the range by 200-300 km to the east from populations in the west Kimberley; and thus (3) broadens the climate envelope occupied by the species. Implications of the known distribution for the biology, genetics and conservation of the scaly-tailed possum are briefly discussed.