The Isthmian mouse opossum (''Marmosa isthmica'') is a species 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 126 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North A ...

in the family Didelphidae found in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

, and

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

.Fiona A. Reid, ''A field guide to the mammals of Central America & Southeast Mexico'' (OUP USA, 2009)
p. 50
/ref> Foraging along branches and vines for fruit and insects, with the help of a

prehensile tail A prehensile tail is the tail of an animal that has Adaptation (biology), adapted to grasp or hold objects. Fully Prehensility, prehensile tails can be used to hold and manipulate objects, and in particular to aid arboreal creatures in finding and ...

, ''M. isthmica'' was formerly considered a subspecies of

Robinson's mouse opossum Robinson's mouse opossum (''Marmosa robinsoni'') is a species of opossum in the family Didelphidae. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Ecuador, Grenada, Honduras, Panama, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Robinson's mouse opossums move a ...

(''Marmosa robinsoni'') and is supposed to be similar to it in habit, but following Rossi (2005) it is now deemed a species. In 1935 in the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...

, Enders observed ''Marmosa isthmica'' to build nests with leaves in a nestbox fixed to a tree.Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia: vol. 41 (1999), Issues 1-14, p. 177

Notes

References

*Gardner, A. L.
Mammals of South America, Volume 1: Marsupials, Xenarthrans, Shrews, and Bats
''

University of Chicago Press The University of Chicago Press is the university press of the University of Chicago, a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is the largest and one of the oldest university presses in the United States. It pu ...

. 2008. pg. 669 (see p. 59). Opossums Marsupials of Central America Marsupials of Colombia Marsupials of Ecuador Vertebrates of Panama Mammals described in 1912 Taxa named by Edward Alphonso Goldman {{marsupial-stub