The common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) is a marsupial that occurs on the American continent; its presence on some islands in the Lesser Antilles is thought to result from a human introduction in pre-Columbian times. To confirm this hypothesis, we investigated the genetic diversity and structure of native and introduced opossum populations. We analysed the mitochondrial CO1 sequences of sixty-eight individuals from twelve countries, including for the first time individuals from Martinique, Trinidad and Venezuela. The results show no genetic variation in the Martinique population and suggest a single introduction event from Trinidad or Venezuela, which could fit the hypothesis of an introduction in pre-Columbian times by new immigrant humans to this island. The common opossum is a species that was used as food in pre-Columbian time and could therefore have been introduced as a food source. More data would be needed to confirm these initial results, to date the introduction event, and to assess whether the common opossum on the other islands of the Lesser Antilles has the same origin as the opossum in Martinique.
Veron et al. (Fri,) studied this question.