Secret comb rat

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Secret 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 : Secret comb rat
Scientific name
Ctenomys occultus
Thomas , 1920

The secret comb rat ( Ctenomys occultus ) is a species of comb rats . The species is endemic to the northwest of Argentina in the province of Tucumán .

features

The secret comb rat reaches a head-trunk length of 13.8 to 15.2 centimeters; further information is not available. It is a comparatively small species of the genus. The color of the back and the sides of the body is generally a warm brown to cinnamon brown, the top of the head is a little darker. The ventral side is lighter brown with whitish washouts, the throat and chin are a little lighter.

The skull is small. The timpani are also small and only slightly inflated. The animals have protruding bones above their eyes. The upper incisors are slightly protruding ( proodont ).

The karyotype consists of a double set of chromosomes of 2n = 20 (FN = 40) chromosomes. The sperm are built symmetrically.

distribution

The range of the secret crested rat is limited to the northwest of Argentina , where the species is endemic and has only been recorded in the province of Tucumán . Places where the species has been detected include La Cocha , Lamadrid , Monteagudo, and Simoca .

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 soils. The species occurs regularly around streets.

Systematics

The secret comb rat is classified as an independent species within the genus of the comb rats ( Ctenomys ), which consists of around 70 species. The first scientific description of the species comes from the British naturalist Oldfield Thomas from 1920, who described it using an individual from Monteagudo , about 80 kilometers southeast of San Miguel de Tucumán . Based on its range and karyotype, the species is assigned to a species group of different species in the Chaco region; on the basis of molecular biological characteristics, it is assigned to the tucumanus group around the Tucumán crested rat ( Ctenomys tucumanus ).

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

Status, threat and protection

The secret comb 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 500 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

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Furtive 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 .
  2. ↑ a b c d Ctenomys occultus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2019. Posted by: CJ Bidau, 2016. Accessed April 18, 2020th
  3. ↑ a b c Ctenomys occultus . 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

  • Furtive 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 .