Dark four-eyed opossum

This species was originally described as a subspecies of Philander opossum, The subspecies Philander opossum fuscogriseus was sometimes recognized as a valid subspecies, but is now considered a junior synonym of P. melanurus. When considered valid the two forms could be differentiated by fuscogriseus having a lighter-tipped tail and lighter fur color on average, while melanurus has a unicolored tail and darker upperparts. ==Etymology==

The common name "four-eyed opossum" comes from the spots above the eyes of this species looking like another set of eyes. The specific name "melanurus" is derived from the Greek "melas" meaning "black" and "oura" meaning "the tail". ==Description==

This species ranges from , averaging . The tail makes up around of this length. This species closely resembles the gray four-eyed opossum, but is darker overall, with a usually darker tail. Populations in Central America have a lighter-colored tip of the tail, similar to most Philander opossums, but populations in the southern part of the range have a uniformly dark tail. The upper parts of the head, back, rump, and limbs are a dark gray to black color, with gray-tipped hairs. The sides of the body, the cheeks, and the eyebrows are a yellowish color, and the underside is white. This species is very similar to Philander vossi, but darker overall. ==Range==

This species is found west of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador, Colombia, and Panama. Either this species or the northern four-eyed opossum occurs in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica but more surveying is needed in these regions. The holotype is from the town of Paramba, along the Río Mira, in northern Ecuador. ==References==