On the Phylogenetic Relationships and Taxonomic Status of the Single-Striped Opossum Monodelphis unistriata (Didelphimorphia: Didelphidae)

Abstract

Analyses of mitochondrial sequence data painstakingly obtained from a century-old specimen of the elusive single-striped opossum Monodelphis unistriata strongly support its sister-group relationship with M. dimidiata in the subgenus Monodelphiops. Additionally, DNA sequence comparisons and the results of multivariate morphometric analysis are consistent with the currently accepted status of both taxa as valid species. Our sequence dataset, which now includes all species currently recognized as valid, is the most complete analyzed to date for the genus.