Gracilinanus

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Gracilinanus [1]
Estacao Ecologica de Santa Barbara Giordano Rossi (13).jpg
G. agilis in São Paulo state, Brazil
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Didelphimorphia
Family: Didelphidae
Subfamily: Didelphinae
Tribe: Thylamyini
Genus: Gracilinanus
Gardner & Creighton, 1989
Type species
Didelphys microtarsus
Wagner, 1842
Species

See text

Gracilinanus.png
Species ranges
  •   G. aceramarcae (Tate, 1931)
  •   G. agilis (Burmeister, 1854)
  •   G. dryas (Thomas, 1898)
  •   G. emiliae (Thomas, 1909)
  •   G. marica (Thomas, 1898)
  •   G. microtarsus (Wagner, 1842)

Gracilinanus is a genus of opossum in the family Didelphidae. It was separated from the genus Marmosa in 1989, and has since had the genera Cryptonanus , Chacodelphys , and Hyladelphys removed from it.

Contents

Physical description

Gracile mouse opossums, excluding the fat-tailed mouse opossum, in general, have a prehensile tail that is thin and very long. The tails of mouse opossums are naked. [2] Mouse opossums have ears that are, both, large and naked. [2] General opossums, including Gracilinanus species, have noses that are pointed.[ citation needed ] Another general characteristic that mouse opossum have are mammary glands. [2] Each member of the Gracilinanus species has a dark ring that is found around each eye. [2] [3] The species G. microtarsus has red-brown fur on the top of the body and gray fur on the underside. [4] In comparison with G. microtarsus, G. agilis has paler fur color. [4] Over the years, a new species, G. ignitus, has been added to the genus. G. ignitus has a white patch on its chest. It, as well, has a light, two-tone colored tail that has only a few hairs. The fur color can be used to determine if a member of the genus is part of the G. ignitus species. G. microtarsus, G. emiliae, and G. dryas can be distinguished from G. ignitus by their tails that are only one color. One difference between G. agilis and G. ignitus is that G. agilis has a hairier tail. G. aceramarcae has naked skin compared to G. ignitus. G. emiliae is smaller than G. ignitus. [5] G. emiliae, in general, has a very long tail. A difference between G. emiliae and the rest of the species in the genus is that it has white fur on the underside of the body and the rest of the species have a gray or brown color. [6]

Taxonomy

It contains the following species: [1]

Cladogram of living Gracilinanus species: [7] [8]

G. emilae (Emilia's gracile opossum)

G. aceramarcae (Aceramarca gracile opossum)

G. peruanus

G. microtarsus (Brazilian gracile opossum)

G. agilis (Agile gracile opossum)

Habitat

Gracilinanus species can be found in a number of different places. The different regions that Gracilinanus species can be found are Peru, [9] [10] Bolivia, [9] [10] [11] Brazil, [10] [12] [13] [14] Paraguay, [10] and Venezuela. [12] [11] [13] Some species are found in forests, [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] trees, [9] [10] [12] [13] [14] fallen trunks, tree holes, [10] humid environments, [13] and coffee plantations. [13] G. emiliae is distributed along the Amazonia and the coast of Venezuelan rainforests. [6] G. emiliae is one of the two species in the genus that is found in lowland Amazonian rainforests. [6] G. agilis and G. microtarsus are the only two species that have been found in the central, south, and southeastern parts of Brazil. [15] The other species have been found in the Amazon and not in Brazil. [15] The production of sugar cane and fruits, along with deforestation, is thought to be a reason why the newer species, G. ignitus, has been harder to find. [5]

Endangerment

Out of the species that currently exist, only two are on the endangered list. Gracilinanus agilis is not considered to be threatened, in general, but in the specific area of Paraguay, the species is close to being threatened. [10] The only other species that is near threatened is G. dryas. [12] A major threat to these species is that their main habitat is being destroyed by deforestation. [10] [11] [12] [14] However, it has also been reported that these species are on the critically endangered list because they are only known in two general areas where their habitat has been found to be taking a decline. The species of the genus Gracilinanus once occupied other regions in South America but are now extinct there. [3]

Diet

The species G. microtarsus has a diet that includes insects, spiders, fruits, termites, beetles and ants. [16] As well, this species has been known to live off of wasps [17] and small invertebrates. [15] However, the main component of G. microtarsus' diet is ants. It is reported that males eat more food than females. [16]

Reproduction

Like most marsupials, the female has two vaginas and the males have a two-pronged penis. [18] Some females can have a litter size of up to 15, but usually have a litter of about 7. [2] Females of the species do not have a pouch that the young are able to stay in. [3] [10] [15] For those that do not have a pouch, the young are only attached to the nipples for a short time period and are left in their nests early on in their life. [15]

Interesting facts

Some species are nocturnal. [15] [17] A few Gracilinanus species know how to play dead.[ citation needed ] The newest species that was found, G. ignitus, is reported to be one of the largest of all the species. [5] G. emiliae is one of the species that has only a dozen specimens found. [6] The species in this genus are known to climb a lot and dig holes in trees or the ground. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opossum</span> Family of mammals

Opossums are members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 126 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North America in the Great American Interchange following the connection of North and South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bare-tailed woolly mouse opossum</span> Species of marsupial

The bare-tailed woolly mouse opossum or short-furred woolly mouse opossum is a South American marsupial of the family Didelphidae. Its range includes Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. It is found in tropical rainforest in the westernmost portion of the Amazon Basin and the eastern foothills of the Andes, at elevations up to 1634 m. It was formerly assigned to the genus Micoureus, which was made a subgenus of Marmosa in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linnaeus's mouse opossum</span> Species of marsupial

Linnaeus's mouse opossum, also known as the common or murine mouse opossum, is a South American marsupial of the family Didelphidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chacoan pygmy opossum</span> Species of marsupial

The Chacoan pygmy opossum is a recently described genus and species of didelphimorph marsupial. The only species in Chacodelphys, C. formosa, was known until 2004 from only one specimen collected in 1920 in the Chaco of Formosa Province, Argentina. The species is gaining popularity as a pocket pet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushy-tailed opossum</span> Species of marsupial

The bushy-tailed opossum is an opossum from South America. It was first described by English zoologist Oldfield Thomas in 1912. It is a medium-sized opossum characterized by a large, oval, dark ears, fawn to cinnamon coat with a buff to gray underside, grayish limbs, and a furry tail. Little is known of the behavior of the bushy-tailed opossum; less than 25 specimens are known. It appears to be arboreal (tree-living), nocturnal and solitary. The diet probably comprises insects, eggs and plant material. This opossum has been captured from heavy, humid, tropical forests; it has been reported from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The IUCN classifies it as least concern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agile gracile opossum</span> Species of marsupial

The agile gracile opossum, is an opossum species from South America. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emilia's gracile opossum</span> Species of marsupial

Emilia's gracile opossum is an opossum species from South America. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Suriname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brazilian gracile opossum</span> Species of marsupial

The Brazilian gracile opossum is a species of small opossum from Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wood sprite gracile opossum</span> Species of marsupial

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalinowski's mouse opossum</span> Species of marsupial

Kalinowski's mouse opossum or the Peru gracile mouse opossum is a species of opossum in the family Didelphidae. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests at elevations up to 1000 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-bellied fat-tailed mouse opossum</span> Species of marsupial

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Didelphinae</span> Subfamily of marsupials

The Didelphinae are a subfamily of opossums consisting of 15 genera and 123 species. Specimens have been collected throughout the Americas, but are predominant in South and Central America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karimi's fat-tailed mouse opossum</span> Species of marsupial

Karimi's fat-tailed mouse opossum is a species of opossum in the family Didelphidae. It is endemic to central and northeast Brazil, where it is found in the cerrado and caatinga at elevations from 300 to 1100 m. This opossum is crepuscular and mostly terrestrial; its omnivorous diet includes leaves, insects and small vertebrates. Its head-and-body length is about 95 millimeters, and its tail length is about 72 millimeters. It is very similar to T. pallidor. Its tail may be nonprehensile. The species is named after Iranian epidemiologist Y. Karimi. It is threatened by habitat destruction and fragmentation due to agriculture and ranching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agricola's gracile opossum</span> Species of marsupial

Agricola's gracile opossum is a species of opossum in the family Didelphidae endemic to eastern Brazil. Its habitat is the caatinga and cerrado. While its conservation status has not been determined, expansion of agricultural activities is leading to loss of some of its habitat. There are several protected areas in the species' range but it has not been collected from these areas. The species is named after Brazilian physician Ernani Agricola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chacoan gracile opossum</span> Species of marsupial

The chacoan gracile opossum is a species of opossum in the family Didelphidae. It is native to Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Its habitat is seasonally flooded grasslands and forests in and near the Gran Chaco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guahiba gracile opossum</span> Species of marsupial

The Guahiba gracile opossum is a species of opossum in the family Didelphidae. It is endemic to southern Brazil, where it is known only from three islands, Guahiba, São Lourenço, and Taquara, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The poorly studied species is presumed to inhabit subtropical forests, and thus to be threatened by deforestation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unduavi gracile opossum</span> Species of marsupial

The Unduavi gracile opossum is a species of opossum in the family Didelphidae. It is native to northern Bolivia, where it has been found in seasonally flooded grassland. Some of the specimens recognized by Voss et al. as belonging to this species were previously classified as the unduaviensis or buenavistae subspecies of Gracilinanus agilis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazonian red-sided opossum</span> Species of marsupial

The Amazonian red-sided opossum is a South American opossum species of the family Didelphidae, formerly viewed as part of M. brevicaudata. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru, where it inhabits the Amazon rainforest. It is omnivorous, nocturnal, and primarily nonarboreal.

<i>Cryptonanus</i> Genus of marsupials

Cryptonanus is a genus of opossums from South America. It includes five species found from Bolivia to Uruguay and eastern Brazil, one of which is now extinct. Although the first species were discovered in 1931, the genus was not recognized as distinct from Gracilinanus until 2005. It includes small opossums with generally grayish, sometimes reddish, fur that are mainly distinguished from other opossums by characters of the skull.

References

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