Additions to the Paraguayan mammal fauna: the first records of two marsupials (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae) with comments on the alpha taxonomy of Cryptonanus and Philander.

Even though Paraguay has had a long history of Mammalogy, since 2007, several new rodent, bat, marsupial, and armadillo species have been added to the list of known species for the country. Herein, we add two new species of marsupials to the fauna of Paraguay, Philander opossum and Cryptonanus unduaviensis. These records improve the understanding of both species in South America. The Paraguayan records of P. opossum, corresponding to the subspecies Philander opossum canus, fill in a major gap in its known distribution between Bolivia and Argentina, while the record of C. unduaviensis accounts for an extension of at least 290 km toward the southeast and is the first record reported outside of Bolivia. These two new species increase the known Paraguayan marsupial fauna to 18 species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]