Geographic Range
Kalinowski’s mouse opossums (
Hyladelphys kalinowskii
) are known from a very limited number of specimens. These animals have been found
in 13 locations in northern South America including those located in Peru, Guyana,
French Guiana and Brazil. Their documented range is patchy, but this can likely be
attributed to the difficulty associated with trapping and may not be reflective of
their actual distribution. These animals can likely be found throughout the northern
portions of the Amazon region.
- Biogeographic Regions
- neotropical
Habitat
Kalinowski’s mouse opossums have been trapped very few times. The first individual
was found near Cuzco, Peru at 890 meters in elevation, however, they have been found
at elevations up to 1,000 m. They are found in lowland tropical, subtropical and montane
evergreen forests of the Andes and the foothills of Peru. These animals have been
trapped on palm fronds in swampy and well-drained primary forests and may be found
near streams.
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- Terrestrial Biomes
- forest
- rainforest
- Wetlands
- swamp
Physical Description
Kalinowski’s mouse opossums are a recently described species. These animals were originally
grouped with genus
Gracilinanus
, but were moved into their own monotypic genus in 2001. Currently, their placement
within the family
Didelphidae
is under question. Certain morphological traits shown in this species, such as deciduous
premolars and an even number of mammae are not typically seen in
didelphids
. Furthermore, what is currently described as Kalinowski’s mouse opossums may actually
be several different species. Due to these factors, there is currently limited information
available regarding Kalinowski’s mouse opossums and it may not be safe to assume that
this species shares any behavioral traits with related species because its family
affiliation is under question.
Kalinowski’s mouse opossums are small mouse-like marsupials, averaging 16.33 grams
(ranging from 13 to 18 g). These animals have unpatterned gray to cinnamon brown dorsal
pelage, including their sides and the outer portions of their legs. Their fur is smooth
in texture, with short guard hairs. Ventrally, Kalinowski’s mouse opossums have cream
to white pelage. Likewise, their ankles, wrists and throat are whitish to orange.
Their head to body length averages 82.67 mm (ranging from 76 to 91 mm), excluding
their tail, which averages 110.17 mm (ranging from 102 to 117 mm). Their largely naked,
scaly tail is pale brown and does not have a furry base. Their faces are characterized
by a very short rostrum and a wide skull. The fur on their cheeks is white and they
have a large black mask that travels across their face to each ear. The fur between
their large eyes is pale orange. These animals have whiskers on their chin and throat,
as well as primarily black whiskers on their face. Their mostly naked ears are very
large, they average 18 mm (ranging 15 to 19 mm) and are large enough to fully cover
their eyes if placed on their face. Their hindfeet average 14.67 mm (ranging from
13 to 16 mm) and have long recurved claws. Kalinowski’s mouse opossums have a weakly
dilambdodont tooth cusp pattern, with small molars. These animals differ from other
didelphids
due to their premolar milk teeth. Likewise, Kalinowski’s mouse opossums have 4 mammae,
unlike other
didelphids
, which have an odd number of mammae.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- bilateral symmetry
Reproduction
There is currently no information available regarding the mating systems of Kalinowski’s
mouse opossums; however, most other
didelphids
maintain a polygynous mating system.
There is currently no information available regarding the reproductive behavior of
Kalinowski’s mouse opossums; however, most
didelphids
have extremely short gestation periods with exceptionally small, altricial young.
- Key Reproductive Features
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- viviparous
There is currently very little information available regarding the parental investment
of Kalinowski’s mouse opossums. These animals do not have pouches and possess 4 mammae.
Young of this species have deciduous premolar milk teeth.
Lifespan/Longevity
There is currently no information available regarding the lifespan of Kalinowski’s
mouse opossums specifically, however, most
didelphids
are short-lived, typically surviving 1 to 2 years maximum.
Behavior
Very little is known about the behavior of Kalinowski’s mouse opossums. Their elusive
nature is facilitated by their arboreal and nocturnal habits, as well as their small
body size. They are believed to have a large and stable population, but they are extremely
difficult to locate and study.
Home Range
There is currently no information regarding the home range size of Kalinowski’s mouse opossums.
Communication and Perception
There is currently very little information available regarding the communication and
perception of Kalinowski’s mouse opossums. These animals have vibrissae on their faces,
chins and throats, which likely helps them navigate in the dark due to their nocturnal
habits. They also possess very large eyes and ears.
Food Habits
There is currently no information available regarding the feeding habits of Kalinowski’s mouse opossums.
Predation
There is currently no information available regarding the predation of Kalinowski’s
mouse opossums. However, members of genus
Gracilinanus
, the genus that Kalinowski’s mouse opossums were once included in, have a number
of documented predators. Members of genus
Gracilinanus
are found in much of the same range as Kalinowski’s mouse opossums and are arboreal.
These animals are known to be preyed upon by
owls
,
lizards
and
snakes
. They are also eaten by
coatis
and
white-tailed hawks
.
Ecosystem Roles
There is currently no information available about the ecosystem roles played by Kalinowski’s mouse opossums.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
There is currently no information available regarding any positive impacts of Kalinowski’s mouse opossum on human populations.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There is currently no information available regarding any negative impacts of Kalinowski’s mouse opossum on human populations.
Conservation Status
Kalinowski’s mouse opossums are currently listed as a species of least concern according
to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Although these animals are very rarely
seen, their population is believed to be rather large and they are thought to be very
widespread.
Other Comments
Kalinowski’s mouse opossums were named for the man who found their holotype, Celestino
Kalinowski.
Additional Links
Contributors
Leila Siciliano Martina (author), Texas State University.
- Neotropical
-
living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- forest
-
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
- rainforest
-
rainforests, both temperate and tropical, are dominated by trees often forming a closed canopy with little light reaching the ground. Epiphytes and climbing plants are also abundant. Precipitation is typically not limiting, but may be somewhat seasonal.
- swamp
-
a wetland area that may be permanently or intermittently covered in water, often dominated by woody vegetation.
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- viviparous
-
reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.
- arboreal
-
Referring to an animal that lives in trees; tree-climbing.
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
References
Astua, D. 2006. Range extension and first Brazilian record of the rare Hyladelphys kalinowski (Hershkovitz, 1992) ( Didelphimorphia , Didelphidae ). Mammalia , 70: 174-176.
Cooper, C., P. Withers, A. Cruz-Neto. 2009. Metabolic ventilatory, and hygric physiology of the gracile mouse opossum ( Gracilinanus agilis ). Physiological and Biochemical Zoology , 82:2: 153-162.
Fernandes, F., L. Cruz, E. Martins, S. dos Reis. 2010. Growth and home range size of the gracile mouse opossum Gracilinanus microtarsus ( Marsupialia : Didelphidae ) in Brazilian cerrado. Journal of Tropical Ecology , 26: 185-192.
Ferreira, G., E. Nakano-Oliveira, G. Genaro, A. Lacerada-Caves. 2013. Diet of the coati: Nasua nasua ( Carnivora : Procyonidae ) in an area of woodland inserted in an urban environment in Brazil. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural , 86: 95-102.
Gardner, A. 2008. Genus Hyladelphys . Pp. 50 in Mammals of South America: Marsupials , Xenarthrans , Shrews , and Bats , Vol. 1. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Granzinolli, M., J. Motta-Junior. 2006. Small mammal selection by the white-tailed hawk in southeastern Brazil. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology , 118:1: 91-98.
Hershkovitz, P. 1992. The South American gracile mouse opossums, genus Gracilinanus Gardner and Creighton, 1989 ( Marmosidae , Marsupialia ): A taxonomic review with notes on general morphology and relationships. Fieldiana: Zoology , 39: 1-56.
Jansa, S., R. Voss. 2005. Phylogenetic relationships of the marsupial genus Hyladelphys based on nuclear gene sequences and morphology. Journal of Mammalogy , 86: 853-865.
Martins, E., V. Bonato, C. da Silva, S. dos Reis. 2006. Partial semelparity in the Neotropical didelphid marsupial Gracilinanus microtarsus . Journal of Mammalogy , 87:5: 915-920.
O'Connell, M. 2006. American Opossums. Pp. 808-813 in The Encyclopedia of Mammals , Vol. 1. London: The Brown Reference Group.
Oliveira, E., P. Villa Nova, F. Goin, L. Avilla. 2011. A new hyladelphine marsupial ( Didelphimorphia , Didelphidae ) from cave deposits of northern Brazil. Zootaxa , 3041: 51-62.
Pires Costa, A., B. Patterson. 2008. " Hyladelphys kalinowskii " (On-line). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed June 01, 2013 at www.iucnredlist.org .
Voss, R., D. Lunde, N. Simmons. 2001. The mammals of Paracou, French Guiana: A Neotropical lowland rainforest fauna. Part 2: Non-volant species. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History , 263: 1-236.