Monodelphis domestica

Monodelphis domestica
Name	Short-tailed opossum
Status	LC
Status system	IUCN3.1
Genus	Monodelphis
Species	domestica
Authority	(Wied-Neuwied, 1826)

Monodelphis domestica is a small, terrestrial metatherian mammal in the family Didelphidae widely studied in laboratory and field contexts. The species has been referenced in comparative anatomy, developmental biology, and genomic projects across institutions such as National Institutes of Health, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Smithsonian Institution. Researchers from Harvard University, University of Cambridge, Max Planck Society, University of California, Berkeley, and University of São Paulo have utilized it for work spanning immunology, endocrinology, and neurobiology.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

Described by Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied in 1826, the species sits in the order Didelphimorphia within the family Didelphidae, alongside genera like Didelphis and Caluromys. Early taxonomic treatments referenced comparative lists in works by Georges Cuvier and later revisions influenced by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. Molecular phylogenetics using markers from laboratories at Wellcome Sanger Institute and University of Oxford placed it among South American opossums distinct from Australian Marsupialia clades recognized by researchers at Australian National University. Nomenclatural history intersects with collections at the British Museum (Natural History) and type specimen records curated by the Zoological Society of London.

Description and Anatomy

Adults exhibit a compact body with short tail, characteristic dentition, and pentadactyl fore- and hindlimbs; morphological descriptions appear in atlases from Gray's Anatomy and comparative works by Richard Owen. Pelage and cranial morphology were documented in monographs associated with the American Museum of Natural History and measurements appear in datasets maintained by Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Anatomical studies of the skull, auditory bulla, and limb skeleton have been compared to specimens in the collections of the Natural History Museum, London and described using imaging methods from National Institutes of Health facilities and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory.

Distribution and Habitat

Native range occurs in eastern and central South America with records from Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina noted in field surveys by teams affiliated with Brazilian National Research Council and CONICET. Occurs in diverse ecoregions cataloged by World Wildlife Fund ecoregion maps including Atlantic Forest fragments studied by researchers at University of São Paulo and cerrado sites monitored by Embrapa. Museum vouchers and occurrence data are archived at institutions such as the Field Museum of Natural History and integrated into databases curated by iNaturalist and Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Behavior and Ecology

Primarily nocturnal and terrestrial, its foraging and locomotor behavior have been compared to small insectivores documented in works by E. O. Wilson and field ecologists from Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas e Tecnológicas. Diet consists of invertebrates and small vertebrates similar to reports from studies affiliated with Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and seasonal activity patterns were analyzed in projects funded by the National Science Foundation. Predation and interspecific interactions have been discussed in faunal surveys alongside species recorded by Charles Darwin on the Voyage of the Beagle and in community ecology syntheses by David Tilman.

Reproduction and Development

Reproductive anatomy, lactation, and pouchless marsupial development are subjects of studies by developmental biologists at Harvard Medical School and Stanford University School of Medicine. Neonatal altricial development, suckling behavior, and early somatic growth have been compared to models from Konrad Lorenz-style ethology and experimental protocols at Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology. Assisted breeding and colony data are maintained by research colonies originally developed at University of Texas and the Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Genetics and Research Importance

The species was the first marsupial with a sequenced genome published in collaboration between the Broad Institute and the Genome Institute at Washington University, enabling comparative genomics with Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, Monodelphis domestica-related datasets in repositories at the National Center for Biotechnology Information and the Ensembl genome browser. Work on immune system genes, X-chromosome inactivation, and developmental regulatory networks has involved teams at Wellcome Sanger Institute, European Bioinformatics Institute, and laboratories funded by Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Its genomic resources have informed evolutionary studies by investigators at University College London and bioinformatics groups at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Conservation and Captive Management

Classified as Least Concern by assessments drawing on data compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and regional agencies like Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, population monitoring engages conservationists at Conservation International and local universities. Captive husbandry protocols developed by colony managers at Smithsonian Institution and university vivaria include guidelines influenced by veterinary research at Royal Veterinary College and husbandry manuals used by Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Biosecurity, disease surveillance, and genetic management in breeding programs reference standards from the World Organisation for Animal Health and ethical frameworks promulgated by the National Research Council.

Category:Didelphidae