Monodelphis palliolata (Osgood, 1914)

Astúa, D., 2015, Didelphidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 129-186 : 150-151

38.

Hooded Red-sided Opossum

Monodelphis palliolata

French: Opossum a capuchon / German: Kronen-Spitzmausbeutelratte / Spanish: Colicorto encapuchado

Taxonomy. Peramys palliolatus Osgood, 1914 ,

“ San Juan de Colon , State of Tachira, Venezuela.”

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. NE Colombia (Norte de Santander, Vichada) and N & NW Venezuela.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 12.3-18.3 cm (males) and 10.2-14.1 cm (females), tail 7-10.5 cm (males) and 5-5— 8-8 cm (females); weight 49-106 g (males) and 32-63 g (females). The Hooded Redsided Opossum has grizzled gray mid-dorsal fur, contrasting with orange fur on sides of body. Head has broadband of grayish fur on crown between eyes. Sides of face are orange, and there are no eye-rings. Tail length is ¢.55% of head-body length, tail has fur on one-fourth to one-sixth ofits dorsal and ventral length; and naked part oftail is gray. Ventral fur is grayish-orange, with gray-based hairs; it does not contrast with orange body sides. Throatis slightly less washed with orange than rest of venter. Furis longer and denser dorsally (c.8 mm) than ventrally (c.4 mm). Feet are gray, and ears are small and uniformly colored gray and appear naked. Females lack a pouch, but number of mammae has not been reported. The Hooded Red-sided Opossum has a 2n = 18, FN = 20 karyotype, with an acrocentric X-chromosome and a dot-like Y-chromosome; FN = 30 has also been reported. There is sexual dimorphism in skull size.

Habitat. Tropical dry forests, pre-montane humid and very humid forests, and tropical humid forests from sea level up to elevations of 2250 m. There are also records of Hooded Red-sided Opossums in plantations, such as coffee plantations.

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

Breeding. The Hooded Red-sided Opossum reaches sexual maturity at ¢.6 months. In northern Venezuela, 7-8 young/litter were reported (mean litter size 7-5 young), with 1-5 litters/year on average. Breeding is reported to be seasonal in northern Venezuela, with reproductively active females present in May—August and November. The Hooded Red-sided Opossum breeds during the early wet season, in synchrony with other marsupials in the Llanos and forested habitats in northern Venezuela, and weaning of the first young occurs simultaneously with rains.

Activity patterns. There is no specific information for this species, but the Hooded Red-sided Opossum is reported to be crepuscular.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Hooded Red-sided Opossums are ground dwelling; virtually all captures in northern Venezuela occurred in traps set on the ground. Males move longer distances than females. Average distance moved between successive captures was 60-9 m (maximum distance of 89-4 m) for males and 32:2 m (maximum distance of 56-6 m) for females. Densities in northern Venezuela are 25-100 ind/km?®.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Hooded Red-sided Opossum has a wide distribution and presumably a large population; it occurs in several protected areas and is tolerant of some degree of habitat modification. Nevertheless, there is considerable deforestation in its distribution, especially outside of protected areas and at lower elevations that might affect its populations in the future.

Bibliography. Gardner (2005), Handley (1976), O'Connell (1979, 1989), Pavan et al. (2012), Pine & Handley (2007), Reig et al. (1977), Svartman (2009), Ventura, Lew et al. (2005), Ventura, Pérez-Hernandez & Lopez-Fuster (1998).

Figures

65. Pygmy Opossum (Chacodelphys formosa), 66. Agricola’s Opossum (Cryptonanus agricola), 67. Chacoan Mouse Opossum (Cryptonanus chacoensis), 68. Guaiba Mouse Opossum (Cryptonanus guahybae), 69. Unduavi Mouse Opossum (Cryptonanus unduaviensis), 70. . Emilie’s. 9 Opossum.. Gracilinanus. (null), 71. Aceramarca Opossum (Gracilinanus aceramarcae), 72. Agile Opossum (Gracilinanus agilis), 73. Wood Sprite Opossum (Gracilinanus dryas), 74. Northern Gracile Opossum (Gracilinanus marica), 75. Brazilian Gracile Opossum (Gracilinanus microtarsus)

Distribution. NE Colombia (Norte de Santander, Vichada) and N & NW Venezuela.