Comb quill rats
| Comb quill rats | ||||||||||||
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White-faced crested spiny rat ( Echimys chrysurus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Echimys | ||||||||||||
| G. Cuvier , 1809 |
The comb sting rats ( Echimys ) are a genus of rodents in the family of the sting rats (Echimyidae). The species of the genus occur in South America .
Taxonomy
Within the subfamily of the real spiny rats (Echimyinae), to which the genus belongs, various taxonomic revisions have recently taken place , which are not yet fully completed. The subfamily in its current composition may be paraphyletic . Of the 14 species that were still listed in the genus Echimys in the 1990s, according to Mammal Species of the World (2005) and the World Conservation Union, 11 or 12 species are divided into the genera Callistomys , Makalata , Pattonomys and Phyllomys .
The following two species remain in the genus.
- The white-faced crested spiny rat ( Echimys chrysurus ) lives in northeastern Brazil , eastern Venezuela and the Guyana region . It is marked by a white stripe from the tip of the nose to the back of the head.
- The dark comb spiny rat ( Echimys saturnus ) is native to Ecuador and Peru .
The genus also contains a species newly described in 2005.
- Vieira's crested spiny rat ( Echimys vieirai ) could be found sporadically in the Brazilian states of Amazonas and Pará .
features
The following information applies to all species that were included in the genus in 1999. They reach a head-torso length of 17 to 35 cm, a tail length of 15 to 37 cm and a weight of 194 to 890 g. As with many other spiny rats, the fur on the top is made up of bristles and spines. It usually has a brown to blackish brown color, while the underside is colored light brown to white. Within the genus, the tail may have a bushy tassel or scales .
Way of life
The crested spiny rats usually stay on river banks or in temporarily flooded regions. They don't move as agile as squirrels in the branches. In general, there are two shelters per specimen, located in tree hollows or in hollow tree trunks. The hiding spots are padded with dry leaves. During the day, the animals mainly rest in the upper hiding place. In the Echimys species, smaller groups were observed more often. As far as is known, a litter consists of twins.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World . A taxonomic and geographic Reference . 3. Edition. 2 volumes. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 (English, Echimyinae ).
- ↑ a b Echimys in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015. Accessed June 22, 2016.
- ↑ a b Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Volume 2. 6th edition. 1999, pp. 1696-1897. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9