Geographic Range
This species is found in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and western Colombia.
- Biogeographic Regions
- neotropical
Habitat
Most specimens of
Marmosa zeledoni
have been collected in premontane or montane humid forest from 100 m to 2200 m above
sea level.
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- Terrestrial Biomes
- rainforest
- mountains
Physical Description
Like other species of
mouse opossums
,
Marmosa zeledoni
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 rich reddish brown and the ventral fur is yellowish or orangish. Among other
diagnostic traits, this species differs from other species of
Marmosa
by usually lacking postorbital processes and palatine fenestrae. This species is
sexually dimorphic (males are larger than females)
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- homoiothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- male larger
Reproduction
Nothing is known about the mating system of this species.
Almost nothing has been published about reproduction in
Marmosa zeledoni
, but other species of
Marmosa
are spontaneous ovulators that give birth to highly altricial young that remain attached
to the mother's teats for several weeks (see the account for
Marmosa robinsoni
). Nine to eleven young were attached to the nipples of two captured females.
- Key Reproductive Features
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- viviparous
Females nurse neonatal young and presumably groom them and protect them from predators, but other forms of parental investment are unknown.
- Parental Investment
- altricial
- 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 captivity or in the wild.
Behavior
Nothing has been recorded about the behavior of Marmosa zeledoni , but other species of Marmosa are nocturnal and arboreal/scansorial.
Home Range
The home range of this species is unknown.
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. Adult males have a
gular gland that presumably serves some social scent-marking function.
- Other Communication Modes
- scent marks
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 which are known to be insectivorous and to eat fruit occasionally.
- Primary Diet
- carnivore
- Animal Foods
- insects
- Plant Foods
- fruit
- flowers
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 zeledoni
is probably a primary consumer (of fruit and perhaps nectar) and a secondary consumer
(of
insects
); field observations suggest that it visits the inflorescences of some palm species,
which it might occasionally pollinate. It is probably eaten by
snakes
,
owls
, and
carnivorans
. 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 seems unlikely that this species is of any positive economic importance.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known adverse effects of Marmosa zeledoni on humans.
Conservation Status
Marmosa zeledoni
is widely distributed and much natural habitat still remains in parts of its known
geographic range.
Other Comments
Marmosa zeledoni
has only recently (since 2010) been recognized as a distinct species. It was previously
confused with
M. mexicana
. Phylogenetic analyses of cytochrome-b sequence data suggest that its closest relatives
are
M. mexicana
and
M. isthmica
.
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.
- 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.
- mountains
-
This terrestrial biome includes summits of high mountains, either without vegetation or covered by low, tundra-like vegetation.
- 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.
- 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.
- altricial
-
young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.
- 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.
- sedentary
-
remains in the same area
- scent marks
-
communicates by producing scents from special gland(s) and placing them on a surface whether others can smell or taste them
- 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
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.
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.
Sperr, E., E. Fronhofer, M. Tschapka. 2009. The Mexican mouse opossum ( Marmosa mexicana ) as a flower visitor at a Neotropical palm. Mammalian Biology , 74: 76-80.
Tate, G. 1933. A systematic revision of the marsupial genus Marmosa . Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History , 66: 1-250.