Albinism in Didelphis virginiana (Kerr, 1792): the first reported case in Mexico

Abstract

Atypical colorations occur in different groups of vertebrates. The loss of melanin in the skin, hair and eyes is the result of an autosomal recessive genetic entity. It causes individuals to present with a white coloration of the skin and hair, as well as red eyes, known as albino. This manuscript documents the first record in Mexico of complete albinism in a marsupial, Didelphis virginiana, captured in the Yucatan peninsula.

FIRST REPORT AND DESCRIPTION OF MELANISM AND ALBINISM IN GIANT ANTEATER, Myrmecophaga tridactyla (XENARTHRA, MYRMECOPHAGIDAE)

“…In fact, melanism and albinism are known for many mammal species such as rodents (e.g., Oxymycterus dasytrichus [Stumpp et al 2018], Proechimys sp. [Dalapicolla et al 2020]), tapirs (e.g., Tapirus terrestris [Tokuda et al 2021]), mustelids (e.g., Eira barbara [Aximoff & Rocha 2016]), felids (e.g., Leopardus colocola braccatus [Aximoff et al 2021]), canids (e.g., Canis lupus [Anderson et al 2009]) and marsupials (e.g., Didelphis virginiana [Cuxim-Koyoc et al 2019)]). In anteaters, melanism and albinism records are few and restricted to the genus Tamandua , Ríos-Alvear & Cadena-Ortiz 2019.…”

“…In fact, albino animals have, as one of the most remarkable characteristics, the presence of translucent irises and retinas, with reddish or pink eye coloration due the translucent condition of their ocular structures. This makes visible the blood vascularization in the posterior portion of the eyes (van Grouw 2006, Cuxim-Koyoc et al 2019, Dunlop et al 2019. Albinism is distinct of other hypopigmentation disorders, such as leucism (depigmentation in whole body), piebaldism (partial depigmentation with marked white spots) and "flavism" (depigmentation with predominance of red and yellow tones) (Lucati & López-Baucells 2017, Zortéa & Silva 2018.…”

“…Cases of albinism and melanism in anteaters are rare (e.g., , Ríos-Alvear & Cadena-Ortiz 2019 and poorly studied. Some causes have been correlated with the emergence of albinos in vertebrate populations, such as alterations in diet, environmental contamination (e.g., radiation), habitat fragmentation, inbreeding and, consequently, low genetic diversity (Møller et al 2013, Espinal et al 2016, Cuxim-Koyoc et al 2019. Albino mammals have morphophysiological characteristics that are harmful to their survival, such as high sensitivity to sunlight in their skin and eyes.…”

Primer registro de leucismo en Didelphis marsupialis Linnaeus, 1758 (Didelphimorphia: Didelphidae) en Colombia

“…En el presente caso, al tratarse de un solo individuo, sería recomendable disponer de más información para determinar el porcentaje de depredación y el éxito reproductivo de este tipo de individuos en su hábitat natural. Esta es la cuarta cita reportada de variaciones de melanina en el género Didelphis (Abreu et al 2013, Eckhardt et al 2013, Cuxim-Koyoc et al 2020, y es de esperar un mayor número de citas si aumentan los estudios con cámaras de fototrampeo en estos marsupiales solitarios y de vida nocturna.…”