The identification and classification of species are essential for effective conservation management. This year, Australia experienced a bushfire season of unprecedented severity, resulting in widespread habitat loss and mortality. As a result, there has been an increased focus on understanding genetic diversity and structure across the range of individual species to protect resilience in the face of climate change. The greater glider (Petauroides volans) is a large, gliding eucalypt folivore. This nocturnal arboreal marsupial has a wide distribution across eastern Australia and is considered the sole extant member of the genus Petauroides. Differences in morphology have led to suggestions that the one accepted species is actually three. This would have substantial impacts on conservation management, particularly given a recent history of declining populations, coupled with extensive wildfires. Until now, genetic evidence to support multiple species has been lacking. For the first time, we used DArT sequencing on greater glider tissue samples from multiple regions and found evidence of three operational taxonomic units (OTUs) representing northern, central and southern groups. The three OTUs were also supported by our morphological data. These findings have important implications for greater glider management and highlight the role of genetics in helping to assess conservation status.

物种的识别和分类对于有效的保护管理至关重要。今年，澳大利亚经历了前所未有的严重森林火灾季节，导致栖息地大面积丧失和死亡。因此，人们越来越关注了解单个物种范围内的遗传多样性和结构，以保护面对气候变化的复原力。大滑翔机（Petauroides volans）是一种大型的滑翔桉叶食动物。这种夜间活动的树栖有袋动物在澳大利亚东部广泛分布，被认为是Petauroides属的唯一现存成员. 形态上的差异导致人们认为一种被接受的物种实际上是三种。这将对保护管理产生重大影响，特别是考虑到最近人口下降的历史，再加上广泛的野火。到目前为止，一直缺乏支持多个物种的遗传证据。我们首次对来自多个地区的大型滑翔机组织样本使用了 DArT 测序，并发现了代表北部、中部和南部群体的三个操作分类单位 (OTU) 的证据。我们的形态学数据也支持这三个 OTU。这些发现对更好的滑翔机管理具有重要意义，并突出了遗传学在帮助评估保护状况方面的作用。