Phylogenetic Relationships of Mouse Opossums (Didelphidae, Marmosa) with a Revised Subgeneric Classification and Notes on Sympatric Diversity
Author
Voss, Robert S.
Author
Gutiérrez, Eliécer E.
Author
Solari, Sergio
Author
Rossi, Rogério V.
Author
Jansa, Sharon A.
text
American Museum Novitates
2014
2014-11-06
2014
3817
1
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http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1206/3817.1
journal article
7859
10.1206/3817.1
25fe81fd-bc8b-4e73-b39a-4befc4589d89
0003-0082
4566020
Exulomarmosa
,
new subgenus
TYPE
SPECIES:
Marmosa robinsoni
Bangs, 1898
.
CONTENTS:
isthmica
Goldman, 1912
(including
mimetra
Thomas, 1921);
mexicana
Merriam, 1897
(including
mayensis
Osgood, 1913;
ruatanica
Goldman, 1911; and
savannarum
Goldman, 1917);
robinsoni
Bangs, 1898
(including
casta
Thomas, 1911;
chapmani
J.A. Allen, 1900;
fulviventer
Bangs, 1901;
grenadae
Thomas, 1911;
luridavolta
Goodwin, 1961
;
mitis
Bangs, 1898;
nesaea
Thomas, 1911; and
pallidiventris
Osgood, 1912);
simonsi
Thomas, 1899
;
xerophila
Handley and Gordon, 1979
; and
zeledoni
Goldman, 1917
.
DIAGNOSIS: Gular gland consistently present and well developed in adult males; manual claws small (not extending beyond fleshy apical pads of fingers); medial and lateral carpal tubercles present in large adult males
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; dorsal tail scales rhomboidal or oblong, usually in both spiral and annular series on most specimens, but one or the other pattern sometimes predominating; ventral prehensile surface of tail not densely fringed with long hairs. Postorbital processes usually absent, indistinct, or very small in some species (e.g.,
Marmosa zeledoni
) but consistently large and well developed in adults of other species (e.g.,
M. simonsi
); palatine fenestrae consistently absent in some species (e.g.,
M. isthmica
) but consistently present in others (e.g.,
M. xerophila
); fenestra cochleae usually exposed (but partially concealed in a few examined specimens of
M. robinsoni
,
M. simonsi
, and
M. xerophila
); M2 preparacrista attaches to or terminates near stylar cusp B.
COMPARISONS: Comparisons of
Exulomarmosa
with
Eomarmosa
have already been provided (see above). Species of
Exulomarmosa
differ consistently from members of the subgenus
Marmosa
in sexually dimorphic features of the carpal (wrist) region: whereas large adult male specimens of
Exulomarmosa
have well-developed lateral and medial carpal tubercles, neither sex has large carpal tubercles in the subgenus
Marmosa
. Additionally, gular glands are consistently well developed (especially in adult males) in
Exulomarmosa
, but gular glands are absent in most species of
Marmosa
(appearing polymorphically only in
M. waterhousei
;
Rossi, 2005
).
Exulomarmosa
also differs from
Micoureus
in possessing gular glands, and these subgenera further differ in manual claw morphology (small in
Exulomarmosa
, large in
Micoureus
). In
Exulomarmosa
the caudal prehensile surface lacks the dense lateral fringes of long hairs that occur in both species of
Stegomarmosa
.
REMARKS: Morphological diagnoses of the species in this subgenus were provided by
Rossi et al. (2010)
, who also discussed relevant synonymies. At least two species (
Marmosa mexicana
and
M. robinsoni
) contain highly divergent mtDNA haplotype groups that might represent cryptic taxa (
Gutiérrez et al., 2010
; Gutiérrez et al., in press).
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Exemplar
adult male specimens in which these tubercles are well developed include AMNH 12454 (
Marmosa mexicana
), AMNH 37890 (
M. isthmica
), AMNH 66852 (
M. simonsi
), AMNH 69939 (
M. robinsoni
), USNM 443920 (
M. xerophila
), and AMNH 147759 (
M. zeledoni
). The same specimens also exhibit the well-developed gular gland that characterizes this subgenus.