NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Dark Four-eyed Opossum
Philander melanurus (Thomas, 1899)
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.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Philander melanurus (Thomas, 1899)
- Name authority
- (Thomas, 1899)
- Common name
- Dark 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 melanurus (Thomas, 1899)
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 |
| Gray Four-eyed OpossumPhilander opossum (Linnaeus, 1758) | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Common Four-eyed OpossumPhilander canus (Osgood, 1913) | 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 opossum melanurus (Thomas, 1899) (Thomas, 1899) | synonym |
| Metachirus melanurus Thomas, 1899 Thomas, 1899 | 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=1255663 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:DDFRR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.