Belize Biodiversity Information System

   Wildlife Conservation Society

   Ministry of Natural Resources' Land Information Centre

   01/19/98



  NAME -                 Alston's opossum

  FAMILY -               Didelphidae
  SCIENTIFIC NAME -      Micoureus alstonia nicaraguae

  REFERENCES - 1, 2 and 3

  National abundance, Conservation or Economic Status    Reference

  Common: high density, likely to be seen in many places     4
  

   - Comments on Status

  4* widespread and often common

  District                                                     Reference

  Belize                                                               2
  Stann Creek                                                          2
  Toledo                                                               2
  

  Administrative Unit                  Occurrence          Temporal    Reference

  Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve    Captured or Mist net Dry season       7
  Bladen Nature Reserve                                      Permanent        6
  Columbia River Forest Reserve         Collected as voucher                  5
  

  Hydrologic Association         Reference

  Macal River                          7
  

  

                         
  

  1:50,000 Quadrangle                   Reference

  16 45' to 17 00'; 88 45' to 89 00'           7
  16 15' to 16 30'; 88 45' to 89 00'           6
  16 15' to 16 30'; 89 00' to 89 15'           5
  

  

                                                
  

  General Distribution Comments

  7* Rubber Camp; author shows as M. cinereus but Emmons *2* says M. alstoni
  2* specimen from Double Falls
  5* voucher specimen taken

  References

  1  McCarthy, T. J. 1993. Checklist: Mammals of Belize. BAS Newsletter
     25 (2-3).
  
  2  Hall, E. R. 1981. Mammals of North America. Second ed. John Wiley &
     Sons. New York. 1:13-14
  
  3  Wilson, D. E., D. M. Reeder. 1993.  Mammal Species of the World, a
     Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Second ed. Smithsonian Inst. p.20
  
  4  Emmons, L. H. 1990.  Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, a field guide.
     University of Chicago Press.  Chicago and London. p.20
  
  5  Parker, T. A. III, B. K. Holst, L. H. Emmons, J. R. Meyer.  1993.  A
     Biological Assessment of the Columbia River Forest Reserve, Toledo
     District, Belize.  pp.23-25, p. 80
  
  6  Iremonger, S., R. Sayre. 1993. A REA, the Bladen Nature Reserve, Toledo
     District, Belize. DRAFT. Appendix VII
  
  7  Clark, W. C. 1992. Mammal Surveys Along the Macal River in Areas to be
     Affected by the Belize Electricity Board's Proposed Hydroelectric
     Project. pp.3-16. Draft report in Macal River Hydroelectric Development
     Environmental Impact Assessment Rubber Camp and Chalillo Schemes
     Pre-feasibility Study - Draft Environmental Appendix.  Volume II of III.