Karimi's fat-tailed pouch rat
| Karimi's fat-tailed pouch rat | ||||||||||||
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Karimis fat-tailed pouch rat ( Thylamys karimii ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Thylamys karimii | ||||||||||||
| ( Petter , 1968) |
Karimi's fat-tailed rat ( Thylamys karimii ) occurs in central Brazil from western Pernambuco to Mato Grosso .
description
The animals reach a head trunk length of 7.9 to 12.9 cm, have a 6.9 to 10.6 cm long tail and reach a weight of 16 to 43 g. The tail usually has a length of 85% of the length of the head and, in its function as a fat store, can reach a diameter of 3.5 to 5.5 mm. The skulls of males and females differ in size and shape. The fur on the back is brownish, the sides of the body are somewhat lighter. The 6 to 7 mm long hair on the back has a gray base, followed by a brownish zone, then a cream-colored area and dark tips. The brownish zone is missing in the hair on the sides of the body. The top of the head is the same color as the back, the eyes are surrounded by very narrow dark brown rings. The peritoneum is cream-colored to whitish, the abdominal hair is 3 to 4 mm long. Front and rear paws are whitish. The ears are hairless and brownish. The females do not have a pouch. The number of teats is nine, four on each side and one in the middle. The karyotype of Karimi's fat-tailed pouch rat consists of a chromosome set of 2n = 14 chromosomes (FN = 24).
Habitat and way of life
Karimi's fat-tailed rat occurs in the semi-arid caatinga and in the savannas of the cerrado , in dry forests and in the scrubland. The species is probably nocturnal. The type specimen kept in human care for a period of five months was active at night and sluggish during the day. The body temperature fell to the ambient temperature (20 to 25 ° C). It always stayed on the ground and did not climb although there was a possibility. The natural diet is unknown. In captivity, the type specimen ate insects, mealworms, minced meat, small birds, bananas, as well as sweet fruits and cookies. Females with juveniles were caught in the rainy season from January to April, juveniles during the rainy season, but more in the dry season.
Systematics
Karimi's fat- tailed rat was first scientifically described in 1968 by the French zoologist Francis Petter under the name Marmosa karimii and named in honor of Y. Karimi, an Iranian epidemiologist who, in collaboration with Petter, researched the role of rodents as zoonoses of the bubonic plague . The terra typica is the region d'Exu in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco . Later the species was placed in the genus of the fat- tailed pouch rats ( Thylamys ).
status
The IUCN estimates the endangered status of Karimi's fat-tailed rat as vulnerable ( Vulnerable ). Their habitat suffers severely from deforestation and the establishment of large agro-industrial monocultures ( soybean cultivation ).
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e Diego Astúa: Family Didelphidae (Opossums). in Don E. Wilson , Russell A. Mittermeier : Handbook of the Mammals of the World - Volume 5. Monotremes and Marsupials. Lynx Editions, 2015, ISBN 978-84-96553-99-6 . Page 175.
- ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2009). The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 219-20. ISBN 978-0-8018-9304-9 . Page 219.
- ↑ Thylamys karimii in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: Carmignotto, AP, Costa, LP & Astua de Moraes, D., 2016. Accessed March 15, 2020th