AGILE GRACILE OPOSSUM Gracilinanus agilis
Smith P 2009 - FAUNA Paraguay Handbook of the Mammals of Paraguay Number 35 Agile Gracile Opossum Gracilinanus agilis
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This tiny little opossum is an arboreal, mouse-like marsupial. But don´t let his cute appearance fool you, his mouth is lined with razor-sharp teeth and he is a voracious predator of large insects which he efficiently dispatches. Due to its noctural habits and small size this species is rarely encountered. Note the extraordinary similarity to the Chaco Mouse Opossum Cryptonanus chacoensis. Unless you are prepared to chop out his skull, you´ll need to examine the base of the ventral fur to tell the difference. If its grey it is this species, if its white its the other. The two species often occur together, though Cryptonanus is much more terrestrial in behaviour.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
FIGURE 1 - (FPMAM1071PH) Adult, Laguna Blanca, Departamento San Pedro (helen Pheasey 9 January 2012 - Para la Tierra).
FIGURE 2 - (FPMAM20PH) Adult, Tobati, Departamento Cordillera (Philip Myers undated).
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FIGURE 1
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FIGURE 2
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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 web-site were taken by Philip Myers, Helen Pheasey and Para La Tierra are used with permission.
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.
Brown BE 2004 - Atlas of New World Marsupials - Fieldiana Zoology 102.
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.
Cáceres NC, Casella J, Vargas CF, Prates LZ, Tombini AAM, Goulart CS, Lopes WH 2008 - Distribucão Geográfica de Pequeños Mamíferos Não Voadores nas Bacias dos Rios Araguaia e Paraná, Região Centro-Sul do Brasil - Iheringia Serie Zool. 98: p173-180.
Hershkovitz P 1992 - The South American Gracile Mouse Opossums Genus Gracilinanus Gardner & Creighton 1989 (Marmosidae: Marsupialia): A Taxonomic Review with Notes on General Morphology and Relationships - Fieldiana Zoology Series 1441.
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.
AGILE GRACILE OPOSSUM Gracilinanus agilis
DORSAL (FPMAM1068PH); VENTRAL (FPMAM1069PH); LATERAL (FPMAM1070PH)
Cranial characters to note. P2 and P3 of approximately equal height. No accessory cusps on base of canine. Maxillary palatal vacuities, rostral process of the premaxillae and a secondary foramen ovale are all present
Skulls courtesy of Helen Pheasey www.paralatierra.org
