MORPHOLOGY OF THE MALE GENITAL SYSTEM OF CHIRONECTES MINIMUS AND COMPARISON TO OTHER DIDELPHID MARSUPIALS

The male genital system was examined in 9 male specimens of Chironectes minimus (2 adult and 7 young) from Brazil. Unlike other didelphids, C. minimus lacks a cloaca and has distinct anal and urogenital openings, and the tunica vaginalis lacks black pigmentation. Similar to other American didelphids, C. minimus has a segmented carrot-shaped prostate gland with 3 anatomical segments that can be distinguished by color, length, and diameter in adults. The 2 pairs of bulbourethral glands of C. minimus are similar to those found in species of Caluromys, Gracilinanus, Monodelphis, Thylamys, and Glironia. The tip of each hemi-glans is rounded and bulbous shaped, whereas the urethral grooves end at the ventral aspect of the tip of each half glans.