NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Gray Four-eyed Opossum
Philander opossum (Linnaeus, 1758)
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 gray four-eyed opossum (Philander opossum) is an opossum species found in Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and northern Brazil, at altitudes from sea level to 1600 m, but generally below 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). Its habitats include primary, secondary and disturbed forest. It is one of many opossum species in the order Didelphimorphia and the family Didelphidae.
Wikipedia contributors, Gray four-eyed opossum; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:43:17.631820+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Philander opossum (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- Gray Four-eyed Opossum
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Didelphimorphia
- Family
- Didelphidae
- Genus
- Philander
- 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
- tribeDidelphini Gray, 1821
- genusPhilander Brisson, 1762
- speciesPhilander opossum (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Philander. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Anderson's Four-eyed OpossumPhilander andersoni (Osgood, 1913) | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| McIlhenny's Four-eyed OpossumPhilander mcilhennyi Gardner & Patton, 1972 | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Common Four-eyed OpossumPhilander canus (Osgood, 1913) | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dark Four-eyed OpossumPhilander melanurus (Thomas, 1899) | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Delta OpossumPhilander deltae Lew, Pérez-Hernández & Ventura, 2006 | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Olrog's Four-eyed OpossumPhilander olrogi Flores, Barquez & Díaz, 2008 | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pebas Four-eyed OpossumPhilander pebas Voss, Diaz-Nieto & Jansa, 2018 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Philander frenatus (Olfers, 1818) (Olfers, 1818) | synonym |
| Didelphys frenata Olfers, 1818 Olfers, 1818 | synonym |
| Philander opossum opossum (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Philander opossum fuscogriseus (J. A. Allen, 1900) (J. A. Allen, 1900) | synonym |
| Didelphis opossum Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Philander opossum pallidus J. A. Allen, 1901 J. A. Allen, 1901 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
South America
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=552584 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:4G4WJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.