On the identity ofDidelphis marsupialisLinnaeus 1758

Abstract

AbstractGiven the confusion ensuing from a recent study suggesting that the nameDidelphis marsupialisshould be applied to white-eared opossums instead of the traditional view that it represents a black-eared opossum, we reviewed all the sources employed by Linnaeus to describeD. marsupialisand examined photographs of the putative type specimen, comparing them with specimens of black- and white-earedDidelphis. We conclude that the type specimen presents characters that would allow us to diagnose it as a black-eared opossum species. We believe that the proposed nomenclatural changes not only are unjustified but also disrupt the stability advocated by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN).