Philander mondolfui, Lew & Pérez- Hernandez & Ventura, 2006

Astúa, D., 2015, Didelphidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 129-186 : 166

62.

Mondolfi’s Four-eyed Opossum

Philander mondolfui

French: Opossum de Mondolfi / German: Mondolfis Vieraugenbeutelratte / Spanish: Filandro de Mondolfi

Taxonomy. Philander mondolfii Lew, Pérez- Hernandez & Ventura, 2006 , “Reserva Forestal de Imataca, Unidad V, between Tumeremo and Bochinche, Bolivar State, Venezuela, coordinates 08°00’N, 61°30°W, 180 m elevation.” This species is monotypic.

Distribution. N & C Colombia (foothills of the E slopes of the East Andes) and W & SE Venezuela (N & S slopes of Cordillera de Mérida and between the Orinoco River and the N Venezuelan Guiana Shield border); a single specimen is also known from Amazonas State in S Venezuela.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 24-3 cm,tail 26.5-29 cm; weight 260 g. Mondolfi’s Foureyed Opossum has pale gray dorsal fur. Body sides and throat are slightly paler, with olivaceous brightness. Head is tinted dark brown, with large and well-defined creamcolored supraocular spots, darker eye-rings, cream-colored cheeks, and no mid-rostral stripe. Tail length is as long as head-body length, and tail is densely furred on up to 20% ofits length and with up to 35% ofits distal length unpigmented. Ventral fur is pale cream to whitish in abdominal region but only slightly paler than dorsal fur on chin, throat, and ventral surface of limbs. Fur is short and woolly. Ears are large and cream-colored, with wide blackish edges and yellow hair, more abundant anteriorly than dorsally, at their bases. Presence of a pouch is unreported but probable, and number of mammae is unknown. Karyotype of Mondolfi’s Four-eyed Opossum is also unknown.

Habitat. Piedmont (elevations of 50-800 m) rainforest and montane forest habitats, in non-flooded ombrophilous and riparian forests, with semi-deciduous and mostly evergreen vegetation, but also in logged forests.

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

Breeding. There is no information available for this species.

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

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Mondolfi’s Four-eyed Opossum has a wide distribution and presumably a large overall population. Most importantly relative to its conservation status, it occurs in a largely uninhabited vast territory in which there are a number of protected areas. Mondolfi’s Four-eyed Opossum also seems to tolerate some degree of habitat alteration, and it may even opportunistically benefit from such alterations.

Bibliography. Flores et al. (2008), Gardner (2005), Lew et al. (2006), Patton & da Silva (2007).

Figures

65. Pygmy Opossum (Chacodelphys formosa), 66. Agricola’s Opossum (Cryptonanus agricola), 67. Chacoan Mouse Opossum (Cryptonanus chacoensis), 68. Guaiba Mouse Opossum (Cryptonanus guahybae), 69. Unduavi Mouse Opossum (Cryptonanus unduaviensis), 70. . Emilie’s. 9 Opossum.. Gracilinanus. (null), 71. Aceramarca Opossum (Gracilinanus aceramarcae), 72. Agile Opossum (Gracilinanus agilis), 73. Wood Sprite Opossum (Gracilinanus dryas), 74. Northern Gracile Opossum (Gracilinanus marica), 75. Brazilian Gracile Opossum (Gracilinanus microtarsus)

Distribution. N & C Colombia (foothills of the E slopes of the East Andes) and W & SE Venezuela (N & S slopes of Cordillera de Mérida and between the Orinoco River and the N Venezuelan Guiana Shield border); a single specimen is also known from Amazonas State in S Venezuela.