''Lutreolina'' is a genus of

opossum Opossums () are members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia () endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 93 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North ...

found in South America. Both extant species in this genus are known as lutrine opossums. They have an

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes we ...

-like body plan and occasionally

semiaquatic In biology, semiaquatic can refer to various types of animals that spend part of their time in water, or plants that naturally grow partially submerged in water. Examples are given below. Semiaquatic animals Semiaquatic animals include: * Verte ...

tendencies, hence the genus name ''Lutreolina'', which is

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "otter-like". Formerly, only one species, the

big lutrine opossum The big lutrine opossum (''Lutreolina crassicaudata''), also known as the little water opossum, comadreja colorada, thick-tailed opossum, or coligrueso is an opossum species from South America in the genus ''Lutreolina''. Description The big ...

(previously known as just the lutrine opossum) was recognized, but a 2014 study described a second species, '' Lutreolina massoia'', on genetic and morphological grounds. There are also two fossil species recognized, '' Lutreolina biforata'' (formerly placed in '' Hyperdidelphys'') and ''

Lutreolina materdei ''Lutreolina'' is a genus of opossum found in South America. Both extant species in this genus are known as lutrine opossums. They have an otter-like body plan and occasionally semiaquatic tendencies, hence the genus name ''Lutreolina'', which i ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16335775 Marsupial genera Opossums Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas