Cordoba Comb rat

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Cordoba Comb rat
Systematics
Subordination : Porcupine relatives (Hystricomorpha)
Partial order : Hystricognathi
without rank: Guinea Pig Relatives (Caviomorpha)
Family : Comb rats (Ctenomyidae)
Genre : Comb rats ( Ctenomys )
Type : Cordoba Comb rat
Scientific name
Ctenomys bergi
Thomas , 1902

The cordoba or mountain crested rat ( Ctenomys bergi ) is a type of crested rat . The species occurs in north-central Argentina , where it has only been recorded in the province of Cordoba .

features

The Cordoba comb rat reaches a head-trunk length of 15.7 to 16.3 centimeters for the males and 13.2 to 14.4 centimeters for the females with a tail length of 7.4 centimeters. Information on weight is not available. It is therefore a comparatively small to medium-sized species of the genus. The back color is a single color sand to fawn brown, the abdominal color is lighter fawn brown. The face from the muzzle to the area between the ears is dark brown.

The skull is small and narrow with rounded sides. The nasal bones are narrow with parallel sides or slightly narrowed at the back. The zygomatic arches are narrow, and the width of the skull between the ear openings is greater than the zygomatic arch width. The tympanic membranes are large and swollen.

distribution

The distribution area of ​​the Cordoba crested rat is limited to north-central Argentina , where it has only been found to be endemic in the province of Cordoba .

Way of life

There is very little information available about the way of life of the Cordoba crested rat, as is the case with most species of crested rats. Like all comb rats, it lives largely underground in duct systems that it creates in the dry, sandy soils of the Chaco region. The animals eat vegetarian food from the available plants, especially from above-ground parts of grass and leaves. They are loners (solitary).

Systematics

The Cordoba crested rat is classified as an independent species within the genus of crested rats ( Ctenomys ), which consists of about 70 species. The first scientific description of the species comes from the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas from 1902, who described it using a fully-grown male from the Cruz del Eje department in the Argentine province of Córdoba. It was partly assigned to the Mendoza comb rat ( Ctenomys mendocinus ).

Apart from the nominate form, no subspecies are distinguished within the species . Was named Ctenomys bergi after entomologist and naturalist Carlos Berg .

Status, threat and protection

The Cordoba Comb rat is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as endangered. This is justified with the comparatively small usable distribution area of ​​about 28 km 2 and the fragmentation of the populations within the area, where it is only known from five localities. The main threat is considered to be the decline in available habitats due to the expansion of agriculture. This species is restricted to natural grasslands over sand dunes, which are considered endangered habitats.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Cordoba 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, p. 532. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
  2. ↑ a b c Ctenomys bergi . 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 .
  3. ↑ "Mountain." In: Bo Beolens, Michael Grayson, Michael Watkins: The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009; P. 39; ISBN 978-0-8018-9304-9 .
  4. ↑ a b Ctenomys bergi in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2019. Posted by: CJ Bidau, 2016. Retrieved on May 12, 2020.

literature

  • Cordoba 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, p. 532. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .

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