CHACO MOUSE OPOSSUM Cryptonanus chacoensis 
Smith P 2009 - FAUNA Paraguay Handbook of the Mammals of Paraguay Number 34 Chaco Mouse Opossum Cryptonanus chacoensis
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As the name suggests the Cryptonanus (meaning "hidden dwarf") mouse opossums were for a long time undetected. So similar are they to the Gracilinanus mouse opossums that it wasn´t until 2005 that the consistent differences in characters (including ratio of tail length to body length, some skull characteristics and tooth morphology) were recognised as belonging to not only different species but to a different genus! In fact they are quite common, more common even in some areas than Gracilinanus, and now mammalogists have to be that much more careful when identifying their mouse opossums.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
FIGURE 1 - (FPMAM14PH) Adult, PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Flavia Netto December 2008)
FIGURE 2 - (FPMAM15PH) Same individual dorsal view  (Flavia Netto December 2008)
FIGURE 3 - (FPMAM16PH) Same individual head detail (Flavia Netto December 2008)
FIGURE 4 - (FPMAM17PH) Same individual dentition (Flavia Netto December 2008)
FIGURE 5 - (FPMAM18PH) Same individual frontal (Flavia Netto December 2008)
FIGURE 6 - (FPMAM19PH) Same individual hind foot (Flavia Netto December 2008)
FIGURE 7 - (FPMAM1047PH) Adult, Laguna Blanca, Departamento San Pedro (Helen Pheasey September 2011 - Para La Tierra)
FIGURE 8 - (FPMAM1048PH) Same individual as (FPMAM1047PH) frontal (Helen Pheasey September 2011 - Para La Tierra).
FIGURE 9 - (FPMAM1049PH) Same individual as (FPMAM1047PH) lateral head (Helen Pheasey September 2011 - Para La Tierra)
FIGURE 10 - (FPMAM1050PH) Same individual as (FPMAM1047PH) dorsal head (Helen Pheasey September 2011 - Para La Tierra)
FIGURE 11 - (FPMAM1051PH) Same individual as (FPMAM1047PH) ear (Helen Pheasey September 2011 - Para La Tierra)
FIGURE 12 - (FPMAM1052PH) Same individual as (FPMAM1047PH) lateral specimen (Helen Pheasey September 2011 - Para La Tierra)
FIGURE 13 - (FPMAM1053PH) Same individual as (FPMAM1047PH) dorsal specimen (Helen Pheasey September 2011 - Para La Tierra)
FIGURE 14 - (FPMAM1054PH) Same individual as (FPMAM1047PH) ventral specimen (Helen Pheasey September 2011 - Para La Tierra)
FIGURE 15 - (FPMAM1055PH) Same individual as (FPMAM1047PH) fore foot dorsal (Helen Pheasey September 2011 - Para La Tierra)
FIGURE 16 - (FPMAM1056PH) Same individual as (FPMAM1047PH) fore foot ventral (Helen Pheasey September 2011 - Para La Tierra)
FIGURE 17 - (FPMAM1057PH) Same individual as (FPMAM1047PH) hind foot dorsal (Helen Pheasey September 2011 - Para La Tierra)
FIGURE 18 - (FPMAM1058PH) Same individual as (FPMAM1047PH) hind foot ventral (Helen Pheasey September 2011 - Para La Tierra)
FIGURE 19 - (FPMAM1059PH) Same individual as (FPMAM1047PH) tail (Helen Pheasey September 2011 - Para La Tierra)
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Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this page were taken by Helen Pheasey, Para La Tierra and Flavia Netto are used with permission.
CLICK THE HANDBOOK LINK ABOVE TO DOWNLOAD OTHER PDFS OF THE SPECIES ACCOUNTS FOR THE FAUNA PARAGUAY HANDBOOK OF PARAGUAYAN MAMMALS VOLUME 1: DIDELPHIMORPHIA.
LINKS TO DOWNLOADABLE OPEN ACCESS REFERENCES USED IN THE PREPARATION OF THE FAUNA PARAGUAY HANDBOOK OF THE MAMMALS OF PARAGUAY SPECIES ACCOUNT FOR THIS SPECIES:

Anderson A 1997 - Mammals of Bolivia: Taxonomy and Distribution - Bulletin AMNH 231.
Burmeister H 1854 Systematische Uebersicht der Thiere Brasiliens: Welche während einer Reise durch die Provinzen von Rio de Janeiro und Minas Geraës Gesammlt oder beobachtet wurden Vol 1 - G.Reimer, Berlin.
Myers P, Espinosa R, Parr CS, Jones T, Hammond GS, Dewey A 2006 - The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed December 2007.
Tate GHH 1931 - Brief Diagnoses of Twenty-six Apparently New Forms of Marmosa from South America - AMNH Novitates 493.
Tate GHH 1933 - A Systematic Revision of the Marsupial Genus Marmosa - Bulletin AMNH 66.
Voss RS, Lunde DP, Jansa SA 2005 - On the Contents of Gracilinanus Gardner & Creighton 1989 with the Description of a Previously Unrecognised Clade of Small Didelphid Marsupials - AMNH Novitates 3482.
CHACO MOUSE OPOSSUM Cryptonanus chacoensis 
DORSAL (FPMAM1044PH); VENTRAL (FPMAM1045PH); LATERAL (FPMAM1046PH)
Cranial characters to note. P2 smaller than P3. No accessory cusps on base of canine.
Skulls courtesy of Helen Pheasey www.paralatierra.org
DORSAL

DORSAL
VENTRAL

VENTRAL
LATERAL

LATERAL