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Gray and black four-eyed opossums
Philander opossum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Didelphimorphia
Family:	Didelphidae
Subfamily:	Didelphinae
Tribe:	Didelphini
Genus:	Philander Brisson, 1762
Type species
Didelphis opossum Linnaeus, 1758
Species
Philander andersoni Philander canus Philander deltae Philander frenatus Philander mcilhennyi Philander melanurus Philander mondolfii Philander nigratus Philander olrogi Philander opossum Philander pebas Philander quica Philander vossi

The nine species in the genus Philander, commonly known as gray and black four-eyed opossums, are members of the order Didelphimorphia. Mature females have a well-developed marsupium. The tail appears to be hairless except for the proximal (closest to the body) 5 or 6 cm, which has a few long hairs. The tail is slightly longer than the head-and-body length, and it is black for the proximal one half to two thirds of its length. The genus is closely related to Didelphis but the species of Philander are smaller than those of Didelphis. The genus formerly included Metachirus nudicaudatus, but this species lacks a pouch and so is now considered a separate genus. The common name comes from the white spots above the eyes, which can appear from a distance to be another set of eyes.

Species

• Philander andersoni - Anderson's four-eyed opossum
• Philander canus - Common four-eyed opossum
• Philander deltae - Deltaic four-eyed opossum
• Philander mcilhennyi - McIlhenny's four-eyed opossum
• Philander melanurus - Dark four-eyed opossum
• Philander nigratus - Black four-eyed opossum
• Philander opossum - Gray four-eyed opossum
• Philander pebas - Pebas four-eyed opossum
• Philander quica - Southern four-eyed opossum
• Philander vossi - Northern four-eyed opossum

The following three species are recognized by the IUCN and Mammal Species of the World but not by the American Society of Mammalogists. P. frenatus is considered a synonym of Philander opossum, and the latter two are junior synonyms of Philander canus.

• Philander frenatus - Southeastern four-eyed opossum
• Philander mondolfii - Mondolfi's four-eyed opossum
• Philander olrogi - Olrog's four-eyed opossum

References

1. Gardner, A. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 16–17. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
2. Lew, Daniel; Roger Pérez-Hernández; Jacint Ventura (2006). "Two new species of Philander (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae) from northern South America". Journal of Mammalogy. 87 (2): 224–237. doi:10.1644/05-MAMM-A-065R2.1.
3. David A. Flores; Barqueza, R.M. & Díaza, M.M. (2008). "A new species of Philander Brisson, 1762 (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae)". Mammalian Biology. 73 (1): 14–24. Bibcode:2008MamBi..73...14F. doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2007.04.002.
4. Gardner, Alfred L. (2008). Mammals of South America: Marsupials, xenarthrans, shrews, and bats. University of Chicago Press. p. 669. ISBN 978-0-226-28240-4.
5. Voss, Robert S.; Díaz-Nieto, Juan F.; Jansa, Sharon A. (January 31, 2018). "A Revision of Philander (Marsupialia: Didelphidae), Part 1: P. quica, P. canus, and a New Species from Amazonia". American Museum Novitates (3891). Retrieved 14 October 2024.

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