RED-SIDED SHORT-TAILED OPOSSUM Monodelphis dimidiata 
Smith P 2008 - FAUNA Paraguay Handbook of the Mammals of Paraguay Number 26 Red-sided Short-tailed Opossum Monodelphis sorex
Pdf file 3.33mb
An Atlantic Forest, terrestrial predatory opossum. This species has caused considerable confusion during its taxonomic history on account of the remarkable difference in colouration and size between adults and juveniles and males and females. Juveniles are dark chestnut whilst large adult males are pale orange. The difference is so great that they were originally described as a different species! Formerly known as Monodelphis sorex.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
FIGURE 1 - (FPMAM315PH) Adult lateral, Departamento Canindeyú (Ulf Drechsel www.pybio.org).
FIGURE 2 - (FPMAM316PH) Same individual dorsal, Departamento Canindeyú (Ulf Drechsel www.pybio.org).
FIGURE 3 - (FPMAM317PH) Same individual ventral, Departamento Canindeyú (Ulf Drechsel www.pybio.org).
FIGURE 4 - (FPMAM318PH) Same individual head detail, Departamento Canindeyú (Ulf Drechsel www.pybio.org).
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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.
Material on this page was provided by Ulf Drechsel.
Aprecio mucho tu generoso contribución Ulf, mil gracias!
RED-SIDED SHORT-TAILED OPOSSUM Monodelphis dimidiata 
DORSAL (FPMAM319PH); VENTRAL (FPMAM320PH); LATERAL (FPMAM321PH)
Skulls courtesy of Ulf Drechsel www.pybio.org
DORSAL

DORSAL
VENTRAL

VENTRAL
LATERAL

LATERAL
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:

Brown BE 2004 - Atlas of New World Marsupials - Fieldiana Zoology 102.
Casella J, Cáceres NC 2006 - Diet of Four Small Mammal Species from Atlantic Forest Patches in South Brazil - Neotropical Biology and Conservation 1: p5-11.
Contreras JR, Silveira Avalos W 1995 - Incorporación del Pequeño Marsupial Monodelphis scalops, Thomas 1988, a la Mastofauna del Paraguay (Marsupialia: Didelphidae) - Notulas Faunisticas 70.
de la Sancha N, Solari S, Owen RD 2007 - First Records of Monodelphis kunsi Pine from Paraguay, with an Evaluation of its Distribution - Mastozoologia Neotropical 14: p241-247.
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 70.
Myers P, Espinosa R, Parr CS, Jones T, Hammond GS, Dewey A 2006 - The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed December 2007.
Notman H 1923 - A New Genus and Species of Staphylinidae Parasitic on a South American Opossum - AMNH Novitates 68.