Southeastern Four-eyed Opossum

Description:

DISTRIBUTION: This species is found in Paraguay, northern Argentina (Provincia Misiones, records from Provincias Formosa and Chaco may refer to this species or Philander opossum) and southwestern Brazil (coastally from Bahía to Rio Grande do Sul at least as far south as Marica). In Paraguay it is scantily distributed through eastern Paraguay and the eastern part of Departamento Alto Paraná, the Paraguayan Pantanal. ALIMENTATION: Omnivorous but primarily carnivorous, taking mainly invertebrates and small vertebrates supplemented with fruit. Nowak (1991) lists small mammals, birds and their eggs, reptiles, amphibians, insects, freshwater crustacea, snails, earthworms, fruit and carrion as dietary items. CONSERVATION STATUS: Globally considered to be of Low Risk Least Concern by the IUCN, see http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/detail... for the latest assessment of the species. It is likely under-recorded in Paraguay but has no doubt disappeared from large areas of its former range as a result of conversion of forest to agriculture. It is not listed for the Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve (Esquivel 2001) and Lowen et al (1996) did not record it during extensive surveys of the Atlantic Forests of eastern Paraguay in 1992 and 1995, nor did they interview locals who were familiar with the species. Pires et al (2005) reported increased capture rates of this species in Atlantic forest fragments after fire when compared to capture rates before fires at Poço das Antas, Rio de Janeiro. Massoia et al (2006) describe the species as common without being abundant in Argentina.

Habitat:

Essentially an Atlantic Forest species, this opossum has proved itself to be adaptable and able to colonise a variety of habitats, though it shows a preference for forested areas close to rivers or swamps, typically with dense leaf litter and rocky areas (Moura et al 2005). In Brazil they are found most commonly in humid forest, but also occur in drier and scrubbier restinga habitat. In Paraguay they are typically associated with humid and semi-humid evergreen forests, such as the Atlantic Forest and the seasonallyinundated forests of the Pantanal. The water balance of Philander suggests that it is an obligate inhabitant of mesic environments (Fonseca & Cerqueira 1991).