Marmosops bishop (Pine, 1981)

Astúa, D., 2015, Didelphidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 129-186 : 181

88.

Bishop's Slender Opossum

Marmosops bishop

French: Opossum de Bishop / German: Bishops Schlankbeutelratte / Spanish: Marmosa esbelta de Bishop

Taxonomy. Marmosa parvidens bishopi Pine, 1981 ,

“ 264 km N (by road) Xavantina (locality is at 12° 51° S, 51° 46’ W), Serra do Roncador , Mato Grosso, Brazil.”

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. SE Colombia (Amazonas), W Brazil, E Peru, and N & E Bolivia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 7.9-11.1 cm, tail 11.6-15 cm; weight 11-31 g. Bishop's Slender Opossum has dorsal fur that varies from dull reddish-brown tdark grayish-brown to pale grayish-brown and is paler on body sides. Head is same color as dorsum, butit is paler on rostrum between black eye-rings and lacks any midrostral stripe. Cheeks are white. Tail length is ¢.135% of head-body length, and tail can be all dark or indistinctly bicolored, darker dorsally and paler ventrally, or sharply bicolored. Ventral fur varies from whitish from chin to anus, bordered by variably distinct bands of gray-based hairs, to cream with no bands of gray-based hairs. Throat gland is present in some individuals and absent in others. Feet are covered with white hair. All four limbs have white fur on their ventral side, and lateral carpal tubercles are present in males. Females lack a pouch, but number of mammae is unknown. Bishop’s Slender Opossum has a 2n = 14, FN = 24 karyotype, with all biarmed autosomes, and with a biarmed X-chromosome (Y-chromosome is unknown).

Habitat. Varied habitats, such as primary lowland forest, lowland dry forest, seasonally flooded evergreen gallery forest, terra firma, and cloud forest.

Food and Feeding. There is no information available for this species.

Breeding. Very little information exists on the breeding of Bishop’s Slender Opossum. Along the Rio Jurua, Brazil, no adult females were collected in October or April-June. Juveniles were collected in May-June, corresponding to the end of the wet season.

Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In the Brazilian Amazon, two Bishop’s Slender Opossums were captured in traps set on the ground, and four others in traps set at 1-5-2 m. In Peru, seven individuals were collected in pitfall traps and two others in traps set on the ground.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Bishop's Slender Opossum has a wide distribution and presumably a large overall population. It occurs in several protected areas throughout its distribution in Peru and Bolivia.

Bibliography. Diaz, J.F (2012), Diaz, M.M. (2014), Gardner (2005), Gardner & Creighton (2007a), Melo & Sponchiado (2012), Palma & Yates (1996), Patton et al. (2000), Pine (1981), Voss, Tarifa & Yensen (2004).

Figures

76. Patagonian Opossum (Lestodelphys halli), 77. Karimi’s Fat-tailed Opossum (Thylamys karimii), 78. Dwarf Fat-tailed Opossum (Thylamys velutinus), 79. Elegant Fat-tailed Opossum (Thylamys elegans), 80. Pallid Fat-tailed Opossum (Thylamys pallidior), 81. Tate's Fat-tailed Opossum (Thylamys tatei), 82. Mesopotamian Fat-tailed Opossum (Thylamys citellus), 83. Dry Chaco Fat-tailed Opossum (Thylamys pulchellus), 84. Chacoan Fat-tailed Opossum (Thylamys pusillus), 85. Paraguayan Fat-tailed Opossum (Thylamys macrurus), 86. Argentine Fat-tailed Opossum (Thylamys sponsorius), 87. Buff-bellied Fat-tailed Opossum (Thylamys venustus), 88. Bishop's Slender Opossum (Marmosops bishop), 89. Junin Slender Opossum (Marmosops juninensis), 90. Delicate Slender Opossum (Marmosops parvidens), 91. Pantepui Slender Opossum (Marmosops pakaraimae), 92. Pinheiro’s Slender Opossum (Marmosops pinheiroi), 93. Handley’s Slender Opossum (Marmosops handleyi), 94. Gray Slender Opossum (Marmosops incanus), 95. Brazilian Slender Opossum (Marmosops paulensis), 96. Neblina Slender Opossum (Marmosops neblina), 97. Tschudi’s Slender Opossum (Marmosops impavidus), 98. Spectacled Slender Opossum (Marmosops ocellatus), 99. Creighton’s Slender Opossum (Marmosops creightoni), 100. White-bellied Slender Opossum (Marmosops noctivagus), 101. Narrow-headed Slender Opossum (Marmosops cracens), 102. Dusky Slender Opossum (Marmosops fuscatus), 103. Panama Slender Opossum (Marmosops invictus)

Distribution. SE Colombia (Amazonas), W Brazil, E Peru, and N & E Bolivia.