Marmosa zeledoni, Goldman, 1911

Astúa, D., 2015, Didelphidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 129-186 : 138

10.

Zeledon’s Mouse Opossum

Marmosa zeledoni

French: Opossum de Zeledon / German: Zeledons Zwergbeutelratte / Spanish: Marmosa de Zeledon

Taxonomy. Marmosa zeledoni Goldman, 1911 ,

“ Navarro [near Orosi], Costa Rica.”

Formerly considered to be a subspecies of M. mexicana . Monotypic.

Distribution. Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and W Colombia (Narino and Valle del Cauca).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 12-16.2 cm (males) and 11.9-14.5 cm (females), tail 14.5-21 cm (males) and 14.9-19.7 cm (females); weight 28-100 g. Zeledon’s Mouse Opossum has dorsal fur that is dark, reddish-brown,slightly paler on body sides; it turns into a grayish-brown frosted with reddish-brown in older individuals. Mid-rostral fur on head is paler but does not contrast sharply with crown fur. There is no midrostral stripe. Black eyes are surrounded by dark brown or blackish-brown eye-rings that do not extend to base of ears. Tail length is ¢.128% of head-body length,tail has fur on proximal 10%, and naked rest of tail is dark brown, sometimes paler ventrally. Zeledon’s Mouse Opossum’s venter has a median strip of yellowish or orangish fur that runs from chin to anus, of variable width, bordered by gray-based reddish or brownish fur on sides of chest, abdomen, and upper inguinal region, which sometimes extends to sides of neck and rarely to inner parts of arms and legs. Throat gland is present. Forefeet are reddish-brown, hindfeet are pale brown to reddish-brown, and carpal tubercles are present in males. Females lack a pouch and have nine or eleven mammae, with either four or five on each side, and an additional medial mamma. Karyotype of Zeledon’s Mouse Opossum is unknown.

Habitat. [Lowland or montane rainforests at elevations of 100-2200 m. Zeledon’s Mouse Opossum is apparently more abundant at higher elevations within this distribution in montane or submontane habitats.

Food and Feeding. Some captive Zeledon’s Mouse Opossums survived well on a diet of insects (moths), earthworms, viscera of birds and mice, and fruits.

Breeding. There is no specific information for this species, but one specimen of Zeledon’s Mouse Opossum was captured in a bird’s nest, apparently nesting herself.

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. Zeledon’s Mouse Opossum has not been assessed as a distinct species on The IUCN Red List. At the time of the last[IUCN assessment, Zeledon’s Mouse Opossum was included as a form of the Mexican Mouse Opossum ( Marmosa mexicana ) but not named or formally assessed as a subspecies. Conservation status of all opossumsis being reassessed by the IUCN New World Marsupial Specialists Group.

Bibliography. Creighton & Gardner (2007b), Goodwin (1946), Gutiérrez et al. (2010), Hudson (1932), Rossi (2005), Rossi, Voss & Lunde (2010), Voss et al. (2014).

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. Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and W Colombia (Narino and Valle del Cauca).