All rights reserved. This document may be used, with this header included, for noncommercial purposes within a subscribed institution . No copies of this work may be distributed electronically outside of the subscribed institution, in whole or in part, without written permission from the JHU Press . The tail is about half as long as the head and body, always shorter than the body alone. In all forms the tail is sparsely haired, with only a few millimeters at the base well furred.
Coloration varies greatly depending upon the species.
One group has a bright red-brown back and face, three faint, dusky brown stripes on the back, and buffy to buffy gray underparts. A second group has chestnut brown back and sides and paler underparts, with a wash of buffy tips to the hairs. A fourth group, which includes M adusta of Panama, has a dark brown back and sides and grayish underparts. The fur is short, dense, and rather stiff. The tail is only slightly prehensile.