NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Orange-sided Opossum
Monodelphis (Monodelphiops) dimidiata (Wagner, 1847)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The yellow-sided opossum (Monodelphis dimidiata) is an opossum species from South America found in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. They have grey fur on their dorsal side with orangish fur on the lateral side that continues down to the feet. It is one of the few semelparous mammals in the word, as it breeds only once during its short annual life cycle. Preserving native grasslands is important for their conservation.
They show marked sexual dimorphism: adult males are much larger (100-150 g versus 30-70 g in females) and show large and exposed canine teeth.
Wikipedia contributors, Yellow-sided opossum; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:42:24.862533+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Monodelphis (Monodelphiops) dimidiata (Wagner, 1847)
- Name authority
- (Wagner, 1847)
- Common name
- Orange-sided Opossum
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Didelphimorphia
- Family
- Didelphidae
- Genus
- Monodelphis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassMetatheria Huxley, 1880
- orderDidelphimorphia Gill, 1872
- familyDidelphidae Gray, 1821
- subfamilyDidelphinae Gray, 1821
- tribeMarmosini Hershkovitz, 1992
- genusMonodelphis Burnett, 1830
- subgenusMonodelphiops Matschie, 1916
- speciesMonodelphis (Monodelphiops) dimidiata (Wagner, 1847)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Monodelphis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Gray Short-tailed OpossumMonodelphis (Monodelphis) domestica (Wagner, 1842) | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Amazonian Short-tailed OpossumMonodelphis (Pyrodelphys) emiliae (Thomas, 1912) | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pygmy Short-tailed OpossumMonodelphis (Mygalodelphys) kunsi Pine, 1975 | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Touan Short-tailed OpossumMonodelphis (Monodelphis) touan (Shaw, 1800) | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pine's OpossumMonodelphis (Mygalodelphys) ronaldi Solari, 2007 | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Peruvian Short-tailed OpossumMonodelphis (Mygalodelphys) peruviana Osgood, 1913 | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Voss's Short-tailed OpossumMonodelphis (Monodelphis) vossi S.E. Pavan, 2019 | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gardner's Short-tailed OpossumMonodelphis (Microdelphys) gardneri Solari et al., 2012 | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Santa Rosa Short-tailed OpossumMonodelphis (Monodelphis) sanctaerosae Voss, Pine & Solari, 2012 | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sepia Short-tailed OpossumMonodelphis (Mygalodelphys) adusta (Thomas, 1897) | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Northern Three-striped OpossumMonodelphis (Microdelphys) americana (P. L. S. Müller, 1776) | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Guyanan Short-tailed OpossumMonodelphis (Monodelphis) brevicaudata (Erxleben, 1777) | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Monodelphis sorex (Hensel, 1872) (Hensel, 1872) | synonym |
| Didelphys dimidiata Wagner, 1847 Wagner, 1847 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=552571 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:446N2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.