Monodelphis

The grey short-tailed opossum Monodelphis domestica, photographed by Vladimír Motyčka.

Belongs within: Didelphinae.

Monodelphis is a genus of terrestrial to semi-fossorial opossums found in eastern South America south to central Argentina.

Characters (from Pine & Handley 2008): Ears relatively small; eyes medium-sized to small. Palate without second posterior pair of vacuities. Nasals widened posteriorly. First premolars not greatly reduced; P³ and usually P₃ larger or much larger than P² and P₂ respectively. Pelage dense, ranging from short and crisp to longer and densely woolly; no prominent guard hairs. Pouch completely absent. Tail considerably shorter than head plus body, prehensile, not bushy. Limbs and feet short and stout; ankle-bones unspecialised; foot pads poorly developed; toes relatively short; claws enlarged; fifth hind toe considerably shorter than second, third and fourth toes little longer than second; pollex reduced, not opposable.

<==Monodelphis Burnett 1830 (see below for synonymy) C57
    |  i. s.: M. kunsi CB-E04
    |--M. (Monodelphis) C57
    |    |--M. (M.) brevicaudata (Erxleben 1777) [=Didelphis brevicaudatus, Mo. brevicauda, Pramys brevicaudatus] C57
    |    |    |--M. b. brevicaudata (see below for synonymy) C57
    |    |    |--M. b. orinoci (Thomas 1899) (see below for synonymy) C57
    |    |    `--M. b. palliolata (Osgood 1914) [=Peramys palliolatus] C57
    |    |--M. (M.) adusta (Thomas 1897) [=Peramys adustus] C57
    |    |    |--M. a. adusta C57
    |    |    `--M. a. peruviana (Osgood 1913) [=Peramys peruvianus, M. peruvianus] C57
    |    |--M. (M.) americana (Müller 1776) (see below for synonymy) C57
    |    |--M. (M.) domestica (Wagner 1842) (see below for synonymy) C57
    |    |--M. (M.) emiliae (Thomas 1912) C57, PCS05, C57 (see below for synonymy)
    |    |--M. (M.) glirina (Wagner 1842) C57, PCS05, C57 [=Didelphis glirina C57]
    |    |--M. (M.) henseli (Thomas 1888) [=Didelphys (Peramys) henseli] C57
    |    |--M. (M.) iheringi (Thomas 1888) C57, CB-E04, C57 (see below for synonymy)
    |    |--M. (M.) maraxina Thomas 1923 C57, C-BE04, C57 [=M. domestica maraxina C57]
    |    |--M. (M.) osgoodi Doutt 1938 C57, CB-E04, C57 [=M. adusta osgoodi C57]
    |    |--M. (M.) rubida (Thomas 1899) C57, CB-E04, C57 (see below for synonymy)
    |    |--M. (M.) scalops (Thomas 1888) [=Didelphis (Peramys) scalops] C57
    |    |--M. (M.) sorex (Hensel) 1872 [=Microdelphis sorex, Didelphis sorex, Monodelphiops sorex, Peramys sorex] C57
    |    |--M. (M.) theresa Thomas 1921 C57, CB-E04, C57 (see below for synonymy)
    |    |--M. (M.) touan (Shaw 1800) [=Viverra touan, Mustela touan] C57
    |    |    |--M. t. touan (see below for synonymy) C57
    |    |    `--M. t. paulensis Vieira 1950 [=M. tricolor paulensis] C57
    |    `--M. (M.) unistriata (Wagner 1842) [=Didelphys unistriata, Microdelphis unistriata, Peramys unistriatus] C57
    `--M. (Minuania Cabrera 1919) C57
         |--M. (M.) dimidiata (Wagner 1847) (see below for synonymy) C57
         `--M. (M.) fosteri Thomas 1924 C57

Monodelphis Burnett 1830 [incl. Hemiurus Gervais 1856 non Rudolphi 1809, Microdelphis Burmeister 1856, Monodelphiops Matschie 1916, Peramys Lesson 1842, Sarigua Muirhead 1830] C57

Monodelphis (Minuania) dimidiata (Wagner 1847) [=Didelphis dimidiata; incl. Minuania goyana Miranda Ribeiro 1936, Mi. dimidiata itatiayae Miranda Ribeiro 1936] C57

Monodelphis (Monodelphis) americana (Müller 1776) [=Sorex americanus, Didelphis americana, Peramys americana, P. americanus; incl. Sorex braziliensis Erxleben 1777, Didelphys trilineata Lund 1841 (n. n.), Didelphys tristriata Illiger 1815, Peramys tristriata, Minuania umbristriata Miranda Ribeiro 1936] C57

Monodelphis (Monodelphis) brevicaudata brevicaudata (Erxleben 1777) [incl. Didelphis brachyuros Schreber 1777, Didelphis brachyura, Hemiurus brachyurus, Microdelphis brachyura, *Monodelphis brachyura, Paramys brachyurus, Philander brachyurus, Sarigua brachyura, Didelphis brevicaudis Illiger 1815, Didelphys hunteri Waterhouse 1841, Didelphis sebae Gray 1827] C57

Monodelphis (Monodelphis) brevicaudata orinoci (Thomas 1899) [=Paramys brevicaudatus orinoci; incl. P. brevicaudatus dorsalis Allen 1904] C57

Monodelphis (Monodelphis) domestica (Wagner 1842) [=Didelphys domestica, Peramys domestica, P. domesticus; incl. Hemiurus concolor Gervais 1856, H. hunteri Gervais 1856 non Didelphys hunteri Waterhouse 1841] C57

Monodelphis (Monodelphis) emiliae (Thomas 1912) C57, -, C57 [=Peramys emiliae C57, M. touan emiliae C57, P. tricolor emiliae C57]

Monodelphis (Monodelphis) iheringi (Thomas 1888) C57, CB-E04, C57 [=Didelphis (Peramys) iheringi C57, M. americana iheringi C57]

Monodelphis (Monodelphis) rubida (Thomas 1899) C57, CB-E04, C57 [=Peramys rubidus C57, M. touan rubidus C57, P. tricolor rubidus C57]

Monodelphis (Monodelphis) theresa Thomas 1921 C57, CB-E04, C57 [=M. americana theresa C57, M. therezae C57, Peramys therezae C57]

Monodelphis (Monodelphis) touan touan (Shaw 1800) [incl. Didelphis macroura Pallas in Schinz 1844 non Illiger 1815, D. tricolor Geoffroy 1803, Microdelphis tricolor, Monodelphis tricolor, Peramys tricolor] C57

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[C57] Cabrera, A. 1957. Catalogo de los mamiferos de America del Sur. I (Metatheria - Unguiculata - Carnivora). Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” e Instituto Nacional de Investigacion de Las Ciencias Naturales, Ciencias Zoológicas 4 (1): 1-307.

[CB-E04] Cardillo, M., O. R. P. Bininda-Emonds, E. Boakes & A. Purvis. 2004. A species-level phylogenetic supertree of marsupials. Journal of Zoology 264: 11-31.

[PCS05] Percequillo, A. R., A. P. Carmignotto & M. J. de J. Silva. 2005. A new species of Neusticomys (Ichthyomyini, Sigmodontinae) from central Brazilian Amazonia. Journal of Mammalogy 86 (5): 873-880.

Pine, R. H., & C. O. Handley Jr. 2008. Genus Monodelphis Burnett, 1830. In: Gardner, A. L. (ed.) Mammals of South America vol. 1. Marsupials, xenarthrans, shrews, and bats pp. 82-107. University of Chicago Press.