Resumo

THIELEN, Dirk R; CABELLO, Daniel R; BIANCHI-PEREZ, Guillermo  e  RAMONI-PERAZZI, Paolo. Rearing cycle and other reproductive parameters of the xerophitic mouse opossum marmosa xerophila (didelphimorphia: didelphidae) in the peninsula of paraguana, Venezuela. INCI [online]. 2009, vol.34, n.3, pp.195-198. ISSN 0378-1844.

Some reproductive parameters were measured in 60 adult females of Marmosa xerophila to infer the significance of some adaptations to a semi-arid ecosystem when compared to M. robinsoni, a filogenetically closely related species inhabiting more humid environments. The study was carried out in a tropical thorny woodland in the Peninsula of Paraguaná, Falcon State, Venezuela. Field data were collected by two methods: capture-mark-recapture and radioactive tagging. A reproductive peak occurred in June and July, during the dry season. Post-lactating females were detected from July to February. There was no reproductive activity from March to May. The rearing cycle lasted 60 days and the mean litter size was 7.9 young. The reproductive strategy of M. xerophila is similar to the rainforest species M. robinsoni, reflecting a great plasticity that allows Marmosa species to adapt successfully to different Neotropical ecosystems

Palavras-chave : Didelphidae; Marmosa xerophila; Reproduction; Semiarid Zones; Venezuela.