Brazilian slender opossum

The Brazilian slender opossum (Marmosops paulensis) is an opossum species from South America. It is found in moist montane forest in the Atlantic Forest region of southeastern Brazil, including the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Paraná. Its breeding may be fully semelparous, which is unusual for a mammal.[3]

Brazilian slender opossum[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Didelphimorphia
Family: Didelphidae
Genus: Marmosops
Species:
M. paulensis
Binomial name
Marmosops paulensis
Tate, 1931
Brazilian slender opossum range

It is considered monotypic and analysis of mtDNA sequences has distinguished this species from other Marmosops. Similar to the gray slender opossum (M. Incanus), adults of this species have short fur while young have long, soft fur. Early research identified M. paulensis as a subspecies of M. incana. The name M paulensis came from a mistaken attribution of the species origin as São Paulo. Subsequent research has, however, distinguished M. paulensis based on various features like smaller upper canines, absence of palatine fenestrae and longer incisive foramina.[4]

References
  1. Gardner, A.L. (2005). "Order Didelphimorphia". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. Brito, D.; Astua de Moraes, D.; Lew, D. & Soriano, P. (2008). "Marmosops paulensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2008.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  3. Leiner, Natalia O.; Setz, Eleonore Z. F.; Silva, Wesley R. (February 2008). "Semelparity and Factors Affecting the Reproductive Activity of the Brazilian Slender Opossum (Marmosps paulensis) in Southeastern Brazil". Journal of Mammalogy. American Society of Mammalogists. 89 (1): 153–158. doi:10.1644/07-MAMM-A-083.1. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  4. Gardner, Alfred. Mammals of South America Volume 1. University of Chicago Press. p. 73.


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