Marmosops juninensis (Tate, 1931)

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

89.

Junin Slender Opossum

Marmosops juninensis

French: Opossum du Junin / German: Junin-Schlankbeutelratte / Spanish: Marmosa esbelta de Junin

Taxonomy. Marmosa juninensis Tate, 1931 ,

“ Utcuyacu , between Tarma and Chanchamayo, Province of Junin, Peru.”

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Peru (N Junin), known only from four localities less than 85 km apart.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 10.4-11 cm, tail 13.3-13.7 cm; weight 27 g. Dorsal fur of the Junin Slender Opossum is a warm reddish-brown, darker on mid-dorsum than on body sides, although there is no sharp transition. Fur on head is same color as mid-dorsum, and mid-rostral fur is slightly paler, with dark eye-rings but without any mid-rostralstripe. Tail length is 120% of head-body length. Ventral fur is entirely gray-based, resulting in an almost entirely grayish-white coloration, or with a narrow stripe of white hairs from throat to abdominal region. Feet are whitish, and both sexes have carpal tubercles. Female Junin Slender Opossums lack a pouch. Number of mammae and karyotype are unknown.

Habitat. Primary montane forest at elevations of 1390-2310 m, with dense understories with ferns, shrubs, and litter shallower than 4 cm and canopies reaching 10 m, dominated by the families Melastomataceae , Rubiaceae , Araceae , Piperaceae , and Fabaceae . Nevertheless, one Junin Slender Opossum was collected in a coffee, banana, and maize field, with an open understory.

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

Breeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but the type specimen of theJunin Slender Opossum was a young breeding female,collected in November in Peru.

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

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no specific information available for this species, but the only two specimens of the Junin Slender Opossum with collection information were captured in traps set on the ground.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Junin Slender Opossum has a very small geographical distribution (less than 20,000 km?) and is known from fewer than ten locations. Forests within its distribution are being converted to agriculture and illicit crops. Additionally, there are no records of the Junin Slender Opossum in any protected area. With only six known specimens,little is known about ecology and behavior of theJunin Slender Opossum. It has been recently proposed that its IUCN listing be updated to Endangered, based on restricted size of its current known distribution.

Bibliography. Gardner (2005), Gardner & Creighton (2007a), Lunde & Schutt (1999), Peralta & Pacheco (2014), Pine (1981), Tate (1931, 1933), Voss, Lunde & Simmons (2001), 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. Peru (N Junin), known only from four localities less than 85 km apart.