The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Monotremes and Marsupials

Marmosa
About 25 species. I have listed them all as being monotypic, but some of them are probably species-complexes.

Only three species are represented in the Zoochat galleries.



Mexican Mouse Opossum Marmosa mexicana
Monotypic.

Found from northern Mexico to eastern Panama.


Photo by @Najade in the wild, Costa Rica.

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Mexican Mouse Opossum (Marmosa mexicana) - ZooChat


Linnaeus' Mouse Opossum Marmosa murina
Up to eight subspecies have been described, but Patton et al in Mammals of South America "hesitate to define subspecies at this time" due to how poorly known the species is (and which, in any case, may be a species complex).

Found from eastern Colombia across Venezuela to the Guianas, and in Brazil south to the Atlantic Forest.


Photo by @Giant Eland at Frankfurt Zoo, Germany.

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Linnaeus's mouse opossum (Marmosa murina) | ZooChat


Zeledon's Mouse Opossum Marmosa zeledoni
Monotypic. Formerly treated as a subspecies of Mexican Mouse Opossum Marmosa mexicana, but the two species overlap considerably in distribution.

Found from Nicaragua to Colombia and Ecuador.


Photo by @Giant Eland in the wild, Costa Rica.

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(Marmosa mexicana) Mexican mouse opossum 2014 | ZooChat


Photo by @Najade in the wild, Costa Rica.

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Zeledon’s Mouse Opossum (Marmosa zeledoni) - ZooChat



The remaining species in the genus are not pictured here:


Adler's Mouse Opossum Marmosa adleri
Monotypic.

Known only from Panama. Only described in 2021, with specimens having previously been misidentified as either M. alstoni and M. phaea.


Alston's Mouse Opossum Marmosa alstoni
Monotypic.

Known only from the highlands of Costa Rica. (The former distribution ranged from Belize to Colombia, but the splitting of e.g. M. adleri and M. nicaraguae has resulted in a much more restricted range).


Heavy-browed Mouse Opossum Marmosa andersoni
Monotypic.

Known from only thirteen specimens, from the eastern Andes of Peru.


White-bellied Mouse Opossum Marmosa constantiae
Monotypic.

Found from eastern Peru and Bolivia to central Brazil.


Demerara Mouse Opossum Marmosa demerarae
Monotypic.

Found from eastern Venezuela across northern Brazil to the Guianas.


Woolly Mouse Opossum Marmosa germana
Monotypic.

Known from Amazonian Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.


Panama Mouse Opossum Marmosa isthmica
Monotypic. Formerly treated as a subspecies or synonym of M. robinsoni but they are genetically distinct and also occur sympatrically. The name M. regina is a senior synonym of M. isthmica (i.e. it has priority) but is currently not being used due to prior taxonomic confusion with the name.

Found from Panama to western Colombia and Ecuador.


Jansa's Mouse Opossum Marmosa jansae
Monotypic.

Known from Amazonian Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.


Rufous Mouse Opossum Marmosa lepida
Monotypic.

Found throughout Amazonia in northern South America.


Amazonian Mouse Opossum Marmosa macrotarsus
Monotypic. Formerly treated as a subspecies or synonym of M. murina. M. quichua is treated as a synonym by Voss in his 2022 checklist.

Found in Amazonian Peru, Brazil and Bolivia.


Nicaraguan Mouse Opossum Marmosa nicaraguae
Monotypic.

Known only from Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Formerly treated as a subspecies of M. alstoni.


Tate's Woolly Mouse Opossum Marmosa paraguayanus
Monotypic.

Found in southern Brazil, northeastern Argentina, and Paraguay.


Huachipa Woolly Mouse Opossum Marmosa parda
Monotypic.

Known only from cloud forest on the eastern slopes of the Andes in central Peru.


Perplexing Woolly Mouse Opossum Marmosa perplexa
Monotypic. Formerly treated as a synonym of M. phaea.

Found in southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru.


Little Woolly Mouse Opossum Marmosa phaea
Monotypic.

Known from the Andean foothills of Colombia.


Woolly Mouse Opossum Marmosa rapposa
Monotypic. Formerly included within "M. regina" or confused with M. constantiae with which it occurs sympatrically. A junior synonym is M. budini.

Found in eastern Peru, Bolivia, northwest Argentina, Paraguay, and southwest Brazil.


Robinson's Mouse Opossum Marmosa robinsoni
Monotypic - a number of subspecies have been named but several have since been split as full species and others are indistinguishable in appearance and so are doubtfully valid.

Found from western Panama to northern Venezuela and Trinidad.


Red Mouse Opossum Marmosa rubra
Monotypic.

Known only from a few locations in southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador and eastern Peru.


Rutter's Woolly Mouse Opossum Marmosa rutteri
Monotypic. Formerly included within "M. regina" or M. germana.

Found in lowland rainforest in eastern Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and in western Brazil.


Simons' Mouse Opossum Marmosa simonsi
Monotypic. Formerly treated as a subspecies or synonym of M. robinsoni.

Found in dry forests and magroves in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru.


Mt Duida Mouse Opossum Marmosa tyleriana
Monotypic.

Known only from the massifs of southern Venezuela.


Waterhouse's Mouse Opossum Marmosa waterhousei
Monotypic. Formerly treated as a subspecies or synonym of M. murina.

Found in the Andean foothills of northwestern South America.


Guajira Mouse Opossum Marmosa xerophila
Monotypic.

Endemic to arid thorn-scrub along the Caribbean coast of northeastern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela.
 
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Gracilinanus
Seven species, of which just one is represented in the Zoochat galleries.

I have listed all species as being monotypic, but at least some of them are probably species-complexes.



Brazilian Gracile Opossum Gracilinanus microtarsus
Monotypic, although perhaps a species-complex.

Found in southeastern Brazil and northeastern Argentina, and perhaps Uruguay.


Photo uploaded by @Giant Eland of a wild-caught animal in Brazil.

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Brazilian Gracile Opossum (Gracilinanus microtarsus) - ZooChat



The remaining species are not pictured here:


Aceramarca Gracile Opossum Gracilinanus aceramarcae
Monotypic, although perhaps a species-complex.

Found in Peru and northern Bolivia.


Agile Gracile Opossum Gracilinanus agilis
Monotypic.

Found in the dry forests of Brazil and eastern Bolivia and Paraguay.


Woodsprite Gracile Opossum Gracilinanus dryas
Monotypic.

Found in the mountain forests of the Venezueland and Colombian Andes.


Emilia's Gracile Opossum Gracilinanus emilae
Monotypic.

Known from scattered locations across Amazonia to northern Venezuela.


Northern Gracile Opossum Gracilinanus marica
Monotypic.

Found in the mountains of Venezuela and Colombia.


Peruvian Gracile Opossum Gracilinanus peruanus
Monotypic. Formerly treated as a synonym of G. agilis.

Found in eastern Peru and Bolivia, and west-central Brazil.
 
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Marmosops
About twenty species currently, although there are probably numerous others yet to be described. One species is represented in the Zoochat galleries.

I have listed all species as being monotypic, but at least some of them are probably species-complexes.



Grey Slender Opossum Marmosops incanus
Monotypic.

Endemic to the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil.


Photo by @Giant Eland in the wild, Brazil.

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gray slender opossum (Marmosops incanus) - ZooChat



The remaining species are not pictured here:


Bishop's Slender Opossum Marmosops bishopi
Monotypic.

Found from the eastern Andes of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia to the Amazonian lowlands.


Trinidad Slender Opossum Marmosops carii
Monotypic. Formerly treated as a subspecies of M. fuscatus.

Found on the island of Trinidad and the the adjacent Venezuelan mainland.


Tschudi's Slender Opossum Marmosops caucae
Monotypic. Formerly called M. impavidus. Voss also includes M. neblina as a synonym of M. caucae in his 2022 checklist.

Found from eastern Panama to Peru.


Colombian Slender Opossum Marmosops chucha
Monotypic.

Endemic to the Colombian Andes. Only described in 2016.


Creighton's Slender Opossum Marmosops creightoni
Monotypic.

Known only from the type locality at La Paz, Bolivia. Only described in 2004.


Dusky Slender Opossum Marmosops fuscatus
Monotypic. M. cracens is treated as a synonym in the 2022 checklist by Voss.

Known only from northwestern Venezuela (following the split of M. carri from eastern Venezuela and Trinidad).


Handley's Slender Opossum Marmosops handleyi
Monotypic.

Known only from the northern Andes in Colombia.


Panama Slender Opossum Marmosops invictus
Monotypic.

Endemic to Panama.


Junin Slender Opossum Marmosops juninensis
Monotypic.

Known only from the eastern slopes of the Andes in central Peru.


Magdalena Slender Opossum Marmosops magdalenae
Monotypic.

Endemic to the mountains of Colombia. Only described in 2016.


Amazonian Slender Opossum Marmosops marina
Monotypic.

Endemic to northern Brazil, south of the Amazon River. Only described in 2020.


Neblina Slender Opossum Marmosops neblina
Monotypic. Treated as a synonym of M. caucae by Voss in his 2022 checklist.

Found in northwestern South America, from southern Venezuela to Ecuador and Peru.


Venezuelan Slender Opossum Marmosops ojastii
Monotypic.

Endemic to the mountains of Venezuela. Only described in 2014.


White-bellied Slender Opossum Marmosops noctivagus
Monotypic. Including Dorothy's Slender Opossum M. dorothea, which is treated as a synonym in the 2022 checklist by Voss.

Found from the eastern Andes of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia to the Amazonian lowlands.


Spectacled Slender Opossum Marmosops ocellatus
Monotypic. Formerly treated as a synonym of M. dorothea.

Found in eastern Bolivia and southwestern Peru.


Parakaima Slender Opossum Marmosops pakaraimae
Monotypic.

Endemic to the mountains of Venezuela and Guyana. Only described in 2013.


Delicate Slender Opossum Marmosops parvidens
Monotypic.

Found in northeastern Amazonia, in northeastern Brazil and the Guianas.


Brazilian Slender Opossum Marmosops paulensis
Monotypic.

Endemic to the mountains of southeastern Brazil.


Pinheiro's Slender Opossum Marmosops pinheiroi
Monotypic. Including M. woodalli which is separated by some authors.

Found in northeastern South America, in northeastern Brazil, the Guianas, and eastern Venezuela.


Loreto Slender Opossum Marmosops soinii
Monotypic.

Known only from three localities in the Loreto department of Peru. Only described in 2019 (as a split from M. ocellatus).
 
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Thylamys
Twelve species are listed here, but there are various taxonomic positions on the number of species. Two species are represented in the Zoochat galleries.



Elegant Fat-tailed Mouse Opossum Thylamys elegans
Monotypic.

Endemic to Chile.


Photo by @Giant Eland at Santiago Zoo, Chile.

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Elegant Fat-tailed Mouse Opossum (Thylamys elegans) - ZooChat


Chaco or Common Fat-tailed Mouse Opossum Thylamys pusillus
Monotypic. The species T. citellus and C. pulchellus were split from T. pusillus.

Found in the chaco of Paraguay, extending north into Bolivia and south in northern Argentina.


Photo by @Najade in the wild, Paraguay.

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Chaco Fat-tailed Opossum (Thyllamys pusillus) - ZooChat




The remaining species are not pictured here:


Cinderella Fat-tailed Mouse Opossum Thylamys cinderella
Monotypic. Treated as a synonym of T. venustus by Voss in his 2022 checklist, and has also been connected to T. sponsorius, but most other authors separate them.

Found along the foothills of the eastern Andes in northern Argentina.


Argentine Chaco Fat-tailed Mouse Opossum Thylamys citellus
Monotypic. Treated as a synonym of T. pusillus by Voss in his 2022 checklist, but most authors separate them.

Found in the northeastern corner of Argentina.


Karimi's Fat-tailed Mouse Opossum Thylamys karimii
Monotypic.

Found in the dry forests of central and northeastern Brazil.


Paraguayan Fat-tailed Mouse Opossum Thylamys macrurus
Monotypic.

Found in a small area of eastern Paraguay and adjacent Brazil.


White-bellied Fat-tailed Mouse Opossum Thylamys pallidior
Monotypic. T. fenestrae is treated as a synonym by Voss in his 2022 checklist.

Found in the altiplano from Peru to Argentina.


Beautiful Fat-tailed Mouse Opossum Thylamys pulchellus
Monotypic. Treated as a synonym of T. pusillus by Voss in his 2022 checklist, but most other authors separate them.

Found in the chaco of northern Argentina.


Argentine Fat-tailed Mouse Opossum Thylamys sponsorius
Monotypic.

Found along the foothills of the eastern Andes in southern Bolivia and northwestern Argentina.


Tate's Fat-tailed Mouse Opossum Thylamys tatei
Monotypic.

Known only from limited sites in western Peru.


Dwarf Fat-tailed Mouse Opossum Thylamys velutinus
Monotypic.

Known from only a few locations in the dry forests of central and southeastern Brazil.


Buff-bellied Fat-tailed Mouse Opossum Thylamys venustus
Monotypic.

Found along the foothills of the eastern Andes in Bolivia.
 
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None of the remaining genera of the subfamily Didelphinae are represented in the Zoochat galleries.



Metachirus
Two species


Brown Four-eyed Opossum Metachirus myosuros
Monotypic.

Split from M. nudicaudatus in 2019. Found from southern Mexico through Central America to western South America.


Guianan Four-eyed Opossum Metachirus nudicaudatus
Monotypic.

Found only in northeastern South America.


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Lutreolina
Two species


Lutrine or Thick-tailed Opossum Lutreolina crassicaudata
Two subspecies: crassicaudata, turneri

Found in two separate areas of South America, with crassicaudata in the southeast (eastern Bolivia, southern Brazil, northern Argentina, and Paraguay and Uruguay); and turneri in the far north (eastern Colombia, Venezuela and Guyana), with no records from any other parts of the continent.


Massoia's Lutrine Opossum Lutreolina massoia
Monotypic.

Found in the mountain forests of southeastern Bolivia and northwestern Argentina.


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Tlacuatzin
Traditionally only a single species was recognised in this genus, but it was split into five in 2018. All species are endemic to Mexico.


Rio Balsas Mouse Opossum Tlacuatzin balsasensis
Monotypic.

Found in south-central Mexico.


Greyish Mouse Opossum Tlacuatzin canescens
Monotypic.

From the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca.


Yucatan Mouse Opossum Tlacuatzin gaumeri
Monotypic.

From the Mexican states of Yucatan and Campeche. Only known from five specimens.


Tres Marias Mouse Opossum Tlacuatzin insularis
Monotypic.

Found only on the Tres Marias Islands off western Mexico.


Sinaloan Mouse Opossum Tlacuatzin sinaloae
Monotypic.

From northern Mexico.


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Chacodelphys
One species


Chacoan Pigmy Opossum Chacodelphys formosa
Monotypic.

Known only from the chaco of northern Argentina. It is known from only a few specimens, most of which were remains obtained from owl pellets.


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Cryptonanus
Four species.


Agricola's Gracile Opossum Cryptonanus agricolai
Monotypic.

Endemic to Brazil.


Chacoan Gracile Opossum Cryptonanus chacoensis
Monotypic, although possibly a species-complex.

Found in central Brazil to northern Argentina and Paraguay.

The Red-bellied Gracile Opossum Cryptonanus ignitus, known only from the type specimen collected in 1962 in Argentina and considered extinct, has been re-evaluated (on morphological and genetic grounds) as simply an old individual of Cryptonanus chacoensis.


Guahiba Gracile Opossum Cryptonanus guahybae
Monotypic.

Found in southern Brazil and possibly Uruguay.


Unduavi Gracile Opossum Cryptonanus unduaviensis
Monotypic.

Found in southeast Peru, eastern Bolivia, southwest Brazil, and western Paraguay.


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Lestodelphys
One species


Patagonian Opossum Lestodelphys halli
Monotypic

Found across Patagonian Argentina.
 
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I am impressed. I'm also wondering, are there any plans for photographic guides for other mammal groups?
 
Chlidonias said:
Sure. I'm planning on doing Primates next. TLD will presumably be finishing off the Carnivores.
Click to expand...

Heh, I had been thinking of doing Primates myself :p so after finishing Carnivores I will go for my second choice instead - Afrotherians.
 
Chlidonias said:
Yes, I saw that photo. I suspect the animal at the Smithsonian National Zoo is also a caucae though - I haven't labelled it as such but the zoo obtained it via an illegal attempt to bring it into the country. So I imagine this was most likely to be a Mexican animal.
Click to expand...
Correct you are! It was intercepted in someone’s luggage from a flight from Mexico.
 
jayjds2 said:
Correct you are! It was intercepted in someone’s luggage from a flight from Mexico.
Click to expand...
Excellent. And, related topic, any idea on where the DWA imports their Yapoks from? I couldn't see anything on Google.
 
Chlidonias said:
Excellent. And, related topic, any idea on where the DWA imports their Yapoks from? I couldn't see anything on Google.
Click to expand...
Ugh :rolleyes: the one thing I can't find out about DWA! I've seen Venezuela suggested but that's just a guess. Unfortunately, I keep missing them, they always die soon before I visit. They frequently import animals from Peru, Venezuela, Panama, Guyana, and Brazil, so it's anyone's guess really.
 
What a wonderful project! I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this thread, it gives an excellent overview of the diversity of this wonderful group of animals.

It's not much, but I have uploaded 3 slightly blurry pictures of Northern sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps ariel) to the Artis Royal Zoo gallery, as I noticed pictures of that subspecies were missing!
 
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