Didelphidae is the largest New World radiation of marsupials, and is mostly represented by arboreal, small- to medium-sized taxa that inhabit tropical and/or subtropical forests. The group originated and remained isolated in South America for millions of years, until the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. In this study, we present the first reconstruction of the biogeographic history of Didelphidae including all major clades, based on parametric models and stratified analyses over time. We also compiled all the pre-Quaternary fossil records of the group, and contrasted these data to our biogeographic inferences, as well as to major environmental events that occurred in the South American Cenozoic. Our results indicate the relevance of Amazonia in the early diversification of Didelphidae, including the divergence of the major clades traditionally ranked as subfamilies and tribes. Cladogeneses in other areas started in the late Miocene, an interval of intense shifts, especially in the northern portion of Andes and Amazon Basin. Occupation of other areas continued through the Pliocene, but few were only colonized in Quaternary times. The comparison between the biogeographic inference and the fossil records highlights some further steps towards better understanding the spatiotemporal evolution of the clade. Finally, our results stress that the early history of didelphids is obscured by the lack of Paleogene fossils, which are still to be unearthed from low-latitude deposits of South America.

Didelphidae 是最大的新世界辐射有袋动物，主要由栖息在热带和/或亚热带森林中的树栖、中小型分类群为代表。该群体起源于南美洲并在数百万年中一直与世隔绝，直到巴拿马地峡的形成。在这项研究中，我们基于参数模型和随时间的分层分析，首次重建了包括所有主要进化枝在内的双翅目生物地理历史。我们还汇编了该群体的所有第四纪之前的化石记录，并将这些数据与我们的生物地理推论以及发生在南美新生代的主要环境事件进行了对比。我们的结果表明亚马逊流域与双翅目早期多样化的相关性，包括传统上被列为亚科和部​​落的主要进化枝的分化。其他地区的枝条形成始于中新世晚期，这是一个剧烈变化的时期，尤其是在安第斯山脉北部和亚马逊盆地。其他地区的占领一直持续到上新世，但很少有人在第四纪被殖民。生物地理推断和化石记录之间的比较突出了一些进一步的步骤，可以更好地理解进化枝的时空演化。最后，我们的研究结果强调双海豚的早期历史因缺乏古近纪化石而模糊，这些化石仍有待从南美洲低纬度矿床中出土。特别是在安第斯山脉的北部和亚马逊盆地。其他地区的占领一直持续到上新世，但很少有人在第四纪被殖民。生物地理推断和化石记录之间的比较突出了一些进一步的步骤，可以更好地理解进化枝的时空演化。最后，我们的研究结果强调双海豚的早期历史因缺乏古近纪化石而模糊，这些化石仍有待从南美洲低纬度矿床中出土。特别是在安第斯山脉的北部和亚马逊盆地。其他地区的占领一直持续到上新世，但很少有人在第四纪被殖民。生物地理推断和化石记录之间的比较突出了一些进一步的步骤，可以更好地理解进化枝的时空演化。最后，我们的研究结果强调双海豚的早期历史因缺乏古近纪化石而模糊，这些化石仍有待从南美洲低纬度矿床中出土。