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Didelphis virginiana (Virginia opossum)

Mammalia - Didelphimorphia

Taxonomy
Didelphis virginiana was named by Kerr (1792). It is extant.

It was recombined as Didelphis marsupialis virginiana by Allen (1895).

Subspecies
D. californica, D. pigra, D. virginiana, D. yucatanensis
Sister species lacking formal opinion data
D. reigi, D. virginianus

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1792Didelphis virginiana Kerr
1860Didelphis virginiana Leidy p. 116
1895Didelphis marsupialis virginiana Allen p. 189
1902Didelphis virginiana Hay p. 571
1930Didelphis virginiana Hay p. 395
1952Didelphis virginiana Sherman p. 87
1974Didelphis virginiana Martin and Webb
1974Didelphis virginiana McManus p. 1
1976Didelphis virginiana Tyndale-Biscoe and MacKenzie p. 249
1980Didelphis virginiana Kurten and Anderson p. 101
2001Didelphis virginiana Phillips et al. p. 1538
2019Didelphis virginiana Albright et al. p. 153

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
subclassSynapsida
—Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
RankNameAuthor
—Mammaliamorpha
—Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
—Theriamorpha(Rowe 1993)
—Theriiformes()
—Trechnotheria
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
subclassMetatheria()
—Marsupialiformes
—Marsupialia()
—AmeridelphiaSzalay 1982
orderDidelphimorphiaGill 1872
—Didelphidae()
subfamilyDidelphinaeGray 1827
genusDidelphis
speciesvirginianaKerr 1792

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Didelphis virginiana Kerr 1792 [Virginia opossum]
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Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
partNmean

Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: terrestrialf
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: scansorialf
Diet: omnivoref
Diet 2: carnivoref
Reproduction: viviparoussubc
Created: 2005-06-08 10:11:09
Modified: 2013-05-24 08:50:31
Source: f = family, subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Nowak 1991, Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009, Lillegraven 1979

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Irvingtonian to the top of the Holocene or 1.80000 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 0.3 Ma

Collections (33 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117USA (Florida) Didelphis virginiana (227368)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117USA (Tennessee) Didelphis virginiana (74246)
Irvingtonian1.8 - 0.3USA (Florida) Didelphis virginiana (20289)
Irvingtonian1.8 - 0.3USA (South Carolina) Didelphis virginiana (79919)
Rancholabrean0.3 - 0.012USA (Florida) Didelphis virginiana (20491 195112)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (glacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Florida) Didelphis virginiana (20608 154771 154921)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (South Carolina) Didelphis virginiana (66759 80232)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (interglacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Florida) Didelphis virginiana (20571 20572 20573 20595 20647)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (interglacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Georgia) Didelphis virginiana (20604)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (Tennessee) Didelphis virginiana (63427)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (late glacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Florida) Didelphis virginiana (154722)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (Florida) Didelphis virginiana (20638 34269 154773 154805)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene0.129 - 0.0USA (Missouri) Didelphis virginiana (63563)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene0.129 - 0.0USA (Virginia) Didelphis virginiana (104677 104682 104684)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0USA (Virginia) Didelphis virginiana (104675 104707)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0USA (Tennessee) Didelphis virginiana (63428)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0USA (Ohio) Didelphis virginiana (195062 195066 195069)