Spotted Comb rat
| Spotted Comb rat | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ctenomys latro | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1918 |
The spotted crested rat ( Ctenomys latro ) is a type of crested rat . The species is endemic to the northwest of Argentina in the province of Tucumán .
features
The spotted comb rat reaches a head-trunk length of 16.1 to 17.2 centimeters; further information is not available. It is a small to medium-sized species of the genus. The back, the body and the head are sand-colored brown, the top of the head and the face are darker brown. The belly side is lighter sand colored and the throat is white with a dark spot. The tail is dark brown on top, but light sandy brown on the sides and underside.
The skull is flattened with a narrow skull and the snout region is formed unusually broad. It has comparatively wide nasal bones that are cut off abruptly and at right angles to the rear. The zygomatic arches are wide, but their anterior area is comparatively short. The tympani are small, but clearly inflated.
The karyotype consists of a double set of chromosomes of 2n = 40 or 42 (FN = 44) chromosomes.
distribution
The distribution area of the spotted crested rat is limited to the northwest of Argentina , where the species is endemic and has only been recorded in the province of Tucumán . The altitude distribution is between 600 and 1100 meters.
Way of life
There is hardly any information about the way of life of the species. Like all crested rats, it lives largely underground in duct systems and feeds on the available vegetation as a vegetarian. The habitat in the Chaco is characterized by open dry forest areas with dry and stony soils.
Systematics
The spotted crested rat is classified as an independent species within the genus of the crested rats ( Ctenomys ), which consists of about 70 species. The first scientific description of the species comes from the British naturalist Oldfield Thomas from 1918, who described it using an individual from Tapia , about 20 kilometers north of San Miguel de Tucumán . Due to its range and the karyotype, the species is assigned to a species group of different species in the Chaco region; sometimes it was also considered a species of the tucumanus group around the Tucumán comb rat ( Ctenomys tucumanus ). Sometimes the spotted crested rat was seen as a synonym or a subspecies of the Mendoza crested rat ( Ctenomys mendocinus ).
Apart from the nominate form, no subspecies are distinguished within the species .
Status, threat and protection
The spotted crested rat is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as threatened ("endangered"). The classification is justified by the very small known distribution area of less than 28 km 2 and the fragmentation of the population and the threat to habitats. The main threats to this species are habitat loss from the expansion of agricultural land.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Mottled 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. 517. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
- ↑ a b c d Ctenomys latro in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2019. Posted by: CJ Bidau, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ↑ a b c Ctenomys latro . 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 .
literature
- Mottled 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. 517. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .