Geographic Range
Marmosa lepida
is found in the Guianas; southern Venezuela; eastern Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and
Bolivia; and in Amazonian Brazil.
- Biogeographic Regions
- neotropical
Habitat
All known capture localities of this species are in lowland Amazonian rainforest.
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- rainforest
Physical Description
Like other species of
mouse opossums
,
Marmosa lepida
is a small, pouchless marsupial with large, membranous ears; prominent eyes; a mask
of dark fur surrounding the eyes; and a long, slender, prehensile tail. The dorsal
fur is reddish and the ventral fur is whitish. Among other diagnostic traits, this
species differs from other species of
Marmosa
by its small size, long rostral premaxillary process, absence of palatine fenestrae,
and large postorbital processes. Few adult specimens are known, so the measurement
minima and maxima provided do not represent the full range of morphometric variation
in this species. It is not known whether this species is sexually dimorphic or not,
but in most congeners males average larger than females.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- homoiothermic
- bilateral symmetry
Reproduction
Nothing is known about the mating system of this species.
Nothing has been published about reproduction in
Marmosa lepida
, but other species of
Marmosa
are spontaneous ovulators that give birth to highly altricial young after a short
gestation. According to Tate (1933), females have seven mammae.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
Females presumably nurse neonatal young, groom them, and protect them from predators,
but other forms of parental investment are unknown.
- Parental Investment
- female parental care
-
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
-
protecting
- female
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
Lifespan/Longevity
Nothing is known about the longevity of this species in the wild or in captivity.
Behavior
Nothing has been recorded about the behavior of
Marmosa lepida
, but other species of
Marmosa
are nocturnal, arboreal/scansorial, and solitary.
Home Range
Nothing is known about the home range of this species.
Communication and Perception
The eyes, ears, nasal turbinates (thin bones that support olfactory epithelium), and
tactile hairs are well developed in this species (as in other
opossums
), so vision, hearing, and touch are probably important senses.
Food Habits
No definite information is currently available about the food habits of this species,
but its dentition is similar to that of other species of
Marmosa
that are known to be insectivorous and to eat fruit occasionally.
- Primary Diet
- carnivore
- Animal Foods
- insects
- Plant Foods
- fruit
Predation
Nothing seems to be known about the natural predators of this species, but they probably
include
snakes
,
owls
, and wild
felids
.
- Anti-predator Adaptations
- cryptic
Ecosystem Roles
Marmosa lepida
is probably a primary consumer (of fruit) and a secondary consumer (of insects).
It is probably eaten by
snakes
,
owls
, and
carnivorans
; and it is certainly host to many species of invertebrate ecto- and endo-parasites.
Probable ectoparasites include species of
Arachnida
(
Acari
: mites) and
Insecta
(
Siphonaptera
: fleas). Probable endoparasites include species of
Acanthocephala
(spiny-headed worms),
Cestoda
(tapeworms),
Digenea
(flukes), and
Nematoda
(roundworms).
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
It is unlikely that this species is of any positive economic importance.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known adverse effects of Marmosa lepida on humans.
Conservation Status
Marmosa lepida
is very widely distributed across one of the largest remaining wilderness areas on
the planet. Therefore, its apparent rarity is due to elusive behavior, not numerical
scarcity.
Other Comments
The phylogenetic relationships of this species are still not well understood.
Additional Links
Contributors
Robert Voss (author), American Museum of Natural History, Sharon Jansa (editor), American Museum of Natural History, Alexa Unruh (editor), Animal Diversity Web Staff.
- 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.
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- 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.
- 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.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- female parental care
-
parental care is carried out by females
- 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.
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- cryptic
-
having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- insectivore
-
An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.
References
Creighton, G., A. Gardner. 2007. Genus Marmosa Gray, 1821. Pp. 51-61 in Mammals of South America, Vol. 1 (Marsupials, Xenarthrans, Shrews, and Bats . Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Gutierrez, E., S. Jansa, R. Voss. 2010. Molecular systematics of mouse opossums (Didelphidae: Marmosa ): assessing species limits using mitochondrial DNA sequences, with comments on phylogenetic relationships and biogeography. American Museum Novitates , 3692: 1-22.
Ochoa, J., F. Garcia, S. Caura, J. Sanchez. 2009. Mamiferos de la cuenca del rio Caura, Venezuela: listado taxonomico y distribucion conocida. Memoria de la Fundacion La Salle de Ciencias Naturales , 170: 5-80.
Rossi, R., R. Voss, D. Lunde. 2010. A revision of the didelphid marsupial genus Marmosa . Part 1. The species in Tate's ' mexicana ' and ' mitis ' sections and other closely related forms. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History , 334: 1-81.
Tate, G. 1933. A systematic revision of the marsupial genus Marmosa . Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History , 66: 1-250.