Mendoza comb rat

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Mendoza 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 : Mendoza comb rat
Scientific name
Ctenomys mendocinus
Philippi , 1869

The Mendoza crested rat ( Ctenomys mendocinus ) is a species of crested rats . The species occurs in west-central Argentina east of the Andes , where it is found in the provinces of Mendoza , San Luis and La Pampa .

features

The Mendoza comb rat reaches a total length of 26.2 centimeters for the males and 24.7 centimeters for the females with a tail length of 8.2 centimeters for the males and 7.7 centimeters for the females. There is no specific information on weight. It is therefore a medium-sized type of comb rats. The back color ranges from light brown to grayish reddish brown. Darker stripes run over the fur, which disappear towards the belly. The belly itself is lighter gray-brown. The tail is whitish and has a darker line on the top medially. The feet are covered with thin, white hair.

The skull is strong with a short snout region. The vertex has clearly pronounced crests of the skull, but there is no pronounced sagittal crest. The tympanic membranes are comparatively large and swollen.

distribution

The distribution area of ​​the Mendoza crested rat is limited to west-central Argentina , where it has only been identified as endemic in the provinces of Mendoza , San Luis and La Pampa . The altitude distribution ranges from about 170 to 3400 meters.

The karyotype consists of a double set of chromosomes of 2n = 48 or 50 (FN = 68 to 80) chromosomes. The sperm are built slightly asymmetrically.

Way of life

About the way of life of the Mendoza crested rat, as with most species of crested rats, only little information is available; however, it is one of the better-studied species in the genus. Like all comb rats, it lives largely underground in duct systems that it creates in dry, sandy to loamy soils. It occurs mainly in arid to semi-arid habitats in grasslands and scrubland, whose vegetation is dominated by Prosopis and Larrea species. Like most crested rats, the animals are solitary (solitary) and strictly territorial. They dig straight, parallel burrows, with the burrows of the males being about 50 centimeters longer than those of the females with about 22 centimeters.

The animals eat vegetarian food from the available plants, especially grass and low-growing leaves. They often come out of the burrow for this and also stand on their hind legs to reach leaves. The breeding season extends from July to March and stops for the dry season. The gestation period is on average about 95 days, the females give birth to two to eight young animals. The young develop rapidly and reach sexual maturity in the mating season after their birth. The lifespan is about two years.

Systematics

The Mendoza 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 German-Peruvian naturalist Rudolph Amandus Philippi from 1869, who described it using individuals from Mendoza . Based on molecular biological data, the species is assigned to the mendocinus species group with other related species . Some of these species have been in the past as synonyms considered the Mendoza comb rat, especially the Cordoba-comb rat ( Ctenomys bergi ), the Foch comb rat ( Ctenomys Fochi ), the Haig-comb rat ( Ctenomys haigi ), the Jujuy comb rat ( Ctenomys juris ) which Azara Crest rat ( Ctenomys azarae ), the spotted comb rat ( Ctenomys latro ) which Pundt Crest rat ( Ctenomys pundti ), the Secret comb rat ( Ctenomys occultus ) and the Tucumán Crest rat ( Ctenomys tucumanus ); however, due to karyotypic and molecular biological characteristics, they were regarded as independent.

Apart from the nominate form, no subspecies are distinguished within the species .

Status, threat and protection

The Mendoza crested rat is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as not endangered ("least concern") due to its comparatively large distribution area and the assumed large populations . There are no known risks to the existence of this species.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Mendoza 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, p. 524, ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
  2. ↑ a b c Ctenomys mendocinus . 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. ↑ a b Ctenomys mendocinus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2020 Posted by: CJ Bidau, R. Ojeda, 2016. Accessed June 4 2020th

literature

  • Mendoza 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, p. 524, ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .

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