Marmosa waterhousii (Tomes, 1860)

Astúa, D., 2015, Didelphidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 129-186 : 140

15.

Waterhouse’s Mouse Opossum

Marmosa waterhousii

French: Opossum de Waterhouse / German: \Waterhouse-Zwergbeutelratte / Spanish: Marmosa de Waterhouse

Taxonomy. Didelphys waterhousii Tomes, 1860 ,

“ Gualaquiza ,” Ecuador.

Formerly considered a subspecies of M. murima. Monotypic.

Distribution. W Venezuela (Andes), C (Rio Magdalena Valley), S & SE Colombia, W Brazil (W of Rio Negro and N of Amazon River), E Ecuador, and N Peru.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 12.2-14.9 cm, tail 17.2-22.3 cm; weight 49-66 g. Waterhouse’s Mouse Opossum has dark grayish-brown dorsal fur thatis variably washed with dark orangish-brown and is slightly paler on sides of body. Mid-rostral fur is paler than on head and lacks a midrostral stripe. Blackish-brown eye-rings that surround black eyes do not reach base of ears. Tail length is ¢.140% of head-body length, and tail has fur on its proximal 10%. Naked part of tail is brown or dark brown and is slightly paler ventrally. Ventral fur has a median strip of pale or dark yellowish-creamy hairs on chin, extending to chest, and gray-based hairs on sides of neck, chest, inguinal, and abdominal regions, and on ventral portion of limbs. Forefeet are brown to orangish-brown, and hindfeet are whitish or orangish-brown. Females lack a pouch, and number of mammae is unknown. Karyotype of Waterhouse’s Mouse Opossum is unknown.

Habitat. Mostly in lowland or montane wet tropical forests at elevations of 50-1100 m.

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. Waterhouse’s Mouse Opossum has not been assessed as a distinct species on The IUCN Red List. At the time of the last assessment, it was considered a subspecies of Linnaeus’s Mouse Opossum ( Marmosa murina ). Conservation status of all opossumsis being reassessed by the IUCN New World Marsupial Specialists Group.

Bibliography. Gutiérrez, Jansa & Voss (2010), Gutiérrez, Soriano et al. (2011), Rossi (2005), 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. W Venezuela (Andes), C (Rio Magdalena Valley), S & SE Colombia, W Brazil (W of Rio Negro and N of Amazon River), E Ecuador, and N Peru.