Caluromyinae is a
subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
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 ...
s. It includes the
extant
Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to:
* Extant hereditary titles
* Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English
* Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extinct, ...
genera ''
Caluromys'' and ''
Caluromysiops
The black-shouldered opossum (''Caluromysiops irrupta''), also known as the white-eared opossum, is an opossum known from western Brazil and southeastern Peru. It was first described by Colin Campbell Sanborn, curator of Field Museum of Natural ...
'', as well as the
extinct
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
''
Pachybiotherium''. Until recently, the genus ''
Glironia
The bushy-tailed opossum (''Glironia venusta'') is an opossum from South America. It was first described by English zoologist Oldfield Thomas in 1912. It is a medium-sized opossum characterized by a large, oval, dark ears, fawn to cinnamon coat ...
'' was also included.
[ It has sometimes been classed as a full family, Caluromyidae.][
]
Classification
Classification based on Voss and Jansa (2009)Bare-tailed woolly opossum
The bare-tailed woolly opossum (''Caluromys philander'') is an opossum from South America. It was first described by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The bare-tailed woolly opossum is characterized by a gray head, brown to gray coat, or ...
(''Caluromys philander'')
*** Subgenus ''Mallodelphys''
**** Derby's woolly opossum
Derby's woolly opossum (''Caluromys derbianus''), or the Central American woolly opossum, is an opossum found in deciduous and moist evergreen forests of Central America, from southern Mexico to western Ecuador and Colombia. It was first describ ...
(''Caluromys derbianus'')
**** Brown-eared woolly opossum
The brown-eared woolly opossum (''Caluromys lanatus''), also known as the western woolly opossum, is an opossum from South America. It was first described by German naturalist Ignaz von Olfers in 1818. The opossum is characterized by a brown to ...
(''Caluromys lanatus'')
** Genus ''Caluromysiops
The black-shouldered opossum (''Caluromysiops irrupta''), also known as the white-eared opossum, is an opossum known from western Brazil and southeastern Peru. It was first described by Colin Campbell Sanborn, curator of Field Museum of Natural ...
''
*** Black-shouldered opossum
The black-shouldered opossum (''Caluromysiops irrupta''), also known as the white-eared opossum, is an opossum known from western Brazil and southeastern Peru. It was first described by Colin Campbell Sanborn, curator of Field Museum of Natur ...
(''Caluromysiops irrupta'')
**Genus †'' Pachybiotherium''
***†'' Pachybiotherium acclinum''
References
Opossums
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