Flamarion Comb rat
| Flamarion Comb rat | ||||||||||||
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Flamarion crested rat ( Ctenomys flamarioni ) |
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| Ctenomys flamarioni | ||||||||||||
| Travi , 1981 |
The Flamarion comb rat ( Ctenomys flamarioni ) is a type of comb rats in the southeast of Brazil in the coastal region of the State of Rio Grande do Sul . The animals live in the dunes, where they build their burrows and feed on the grasses and sedges of the dune vegetation. Due to its specific habitat requirements and the decline in the available habitats , the species is considered to be the most endangered species of crested rats in southern Brazil.
The way of life in the dunes led to the Brazilian trivial name " tuco-tuco das dunas ", adopted in English as " Tuco-tuco of the Dunes ".
features
The Flamarion comb rat reaches a head-trunk length of about 24.7 centimeters with a tail length of 7.4 centimeters; there is no specific information on weight. The rear foot length is 42 millimeters without the claw. It is a medium-sized to large type of comb rats. The fur is dense and soft, the hair of the fur is gray at the base and varies in the middle and upper part from white on the flanks and on the neck to light brown on the back; the color ranges from whitish brown to light sandy brown, sometimes almost white. The skin of the feet and tail is pink; these areas are thinly covered with short white hair. The tail is mainly hairy in the front third and flattened on the sides. The front toes have longer, bristle-like and stiff hairs in the spaces between them that increase the area of the front feet for digging.
The karyotype consists of a double chromosome set of 2n = 48 chromosomes. The number of chromosome arms (FN, fundamental number ) varies from 50 to 78, which is mainly due to the distribution of the constitutive heterochromatin of the small chromosomes. The sperm are built symmetrically.
distribution
The flamarion crested rat occurs in southeastern Brazil in the direct coastal region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul . The distribution area extends from Arroio do Sal to Chuí Beach and the Rio Chuí on the border with Uruguay . It is believed that there are also deposits in Santa Catarina as well as in neighboring Uruguay.
Way of life
There is little information available about the way of life of the Flamarion crested rat, as is the case with most species of crested rats, but it is one of the better researched species within the genus. Like all comb rats, it lives largely underground in duct systems that it creates in the sandy soils of the coastal dunes in the front area to the coast. The burrows reach down to a depth of about 30 centimeters; those of the males are usually slightly longer than those of the females. Like most crested rats, the animals are solitary (solitary) and strictly territorial. An individual always lives alone in a building. The territory of the males is usually five times that of the females. The gender distribution among the adult animals has shifted somewhat in favor of the females. The stand densities are estimated at 6 individuals per hectare.
The animals eat vegetarian food from the available grasses and sedges . The animals are polygynous , a male mates accordingly with several females, and the mating season is extended over the entire year; however, there is a clear focus in autumn and a decline in winter and spring. The gestation period is about 120 days; the females usually have 1 to 2 young animals. Most females breastfeed in summer.
In parts, the distribution area of the Flamarion crested rat overlaps with that of the dwarf crested rat ( Ctenomys minutus ), with which it occurs partially sympatric . The overlap area in the north is about 15 kilometers and in the south a few sandy areas in which both species occur.
Systematics
The Flamarion crested rat is classified as an independent species within the genus of crested rats ( Ctenomys ), which consists of around 70 species. The first scientific description of the species comes from the zoologist Vitor Hugo Travi from 1981, who described it using individuals from Fazenda Caçapava in the Estação Ecológica do Taim in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Based on molecular biological data, the species is assigned to the mendocinos group of species around the Mendoza comb rat ( Ctenomys mendocinos ) with other related species .
Apart from the nominate form, no further subspecies are distinguished within the species . The species was named after the Brazilian zoologist Luiz Flamarion Barbosa de Oliviera , with whom Travi collaborates and with whom he has published various scientific articles.
Status, threat and protection
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) classifies the Flamarion Comb rat as endangered due to the limited available habitat. The available habitat area is about 230 km 2 and all known individuals come from five localities; the extent and quality of habitats and the extent of settlement are decreasing. Overall, the population is estimated at around 30,000 animals.
Habitat is limited to the foremost dune line, and the expansion of cities and the increase in beach recreational activities are putting pressure on habitats. The species is considered to be the most threatened species of crested rats in southern Brazil due to its habitat specificity, and the ongoing threat from urbanization and recreational activities could potentially lead to further decline in populations and classifying this species as critically endangered in the future.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Flamarion's Tuco-tuco. In: TRO Freitas: Family Ctenomyidae In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editor): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6) Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016, pp. 523-524, ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
- ↑ a b Gabriela P. Fernández-Stolz, JFB Stolz, Thales RO de Freitas: Bottlenecks and Dispersal in the Tuco-Tuco Das Dunas, Ctenomys flamarioni (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae), in Southern Brazil. Journal of Mammalogy 88 (4) August 20, 2007; Pp. 935-945, doi : 10.1644 / 06-MAMM-A-210R1.1 .
- ↑ a b c d e Ctenomys flamarioni in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2020. Posted by: T. de Frietas, M. Weksler, F. Catzeflis, A. Percequillo, 2019. Accessed June 8, 2020.
- ↑ a b Ctenomys flamarioni . In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
- ^ "Flamarion." In: Bo Beolens, Michael Grayson, Michael Watkins: The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009; P. 136; ISBN 978-0-8018-9304-9 .
literature
- Flamarion's tuco-tuco. In: TRO Freitas: Family Ctenomyidae In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (Eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6) Lynx Edicions , Barcelona 2016, pp. 523-524, ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
Web links
- Ctenomys flamarioni in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2020 Posted by: T. de Frietas, M. Weksler, F. Catzeflis, A. Percequillo, 2019. Accessed June 8, 2020th