Marmosops ocellatus (Tate, 1931)

Astúa, D., 2015, Didelphidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 129-186 : 184

98.

Spectacled Slender Opossum

Marmosops ocellatus

French: Opossum a lunettes / German: Brillen-Schlankbeutelratte / Spanish: Marmosa esbelta de anteojos

Taxonomy. Marmosa ocellata Tate, 1931 ,

“Buenavista, Department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia.”

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. C & E Bolivia (Santa Cruz) and SW Brazil (Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 10.4-14 cm, tail 14.6-18.6 cm; weight 23-51 g. The Spectacled Slender Opossum has uniformly pale grayish-brown dorsal fur.

Top of head is the same color as dorsum, but fur is paler between eye-rings. There is no mid-rostral stripe. Eye-rings do not reach ears or nose and contrast with pale cheeks. Tail length is ¢.140% of head-body length. Tail is bicolored, paler ventrally than dorsally and paler distally than proximally, and usually distal one-third or more is completely pale. Ventral fur is cream, with no distinct lateral band of gray-based hairs. Throat gland is usually absent. Feet are whitish, and males have lateral carpal tubercles. Ears are large and furred at bases. Females lack a pouch and have 13 mammae,six on each side and a medial mamma. Karyotype of the Spectacled Slender Opossum is unknown. Males seem larger than females, and skull size is sexually dimorphic.

Habitat. Relatively arid lowland deciduous forests in Bolivia and semi-deciduous forests in a transition area between the cerrado region and the Amazonia in Brazil. The Spectacled Slender Opossum does not occur in the center of the Pantanal, butit does occur in adjacent, non-flooded habitats.

Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Spectacled Slender Opossum apparently feeds mainly on insects.

Breeding. There is no information available for this species.

Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Spectacled Slender Opossum is probably nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Spectacled Slender Opossum seems to use the ground more frequently than the understory; all specimens from Mato Grosso do Sul were caught in pitfall traps, three specimens from Mato Grosso were caught in traps set on the ground, and one was caught in a trap set at 1-5-2 m high.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Spectacled Slender Opossum has a wide distribution and presumably a large overall population. It occurs in several protected areas and is tolerant of habitat modification.

Bibliography. Astua (2010), Caceres, Ferreira & Carmignotto (2007), Gardner & Creighton (2007a), Semedo et al. (2013), Tate (1931), 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. C & E Bolivia (Santa Cruz) and SW Brazil (Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul).