Central American tapestry
| Central American tapestry | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Sylvilagus gabbi | ||||||||||||
| ( JA Allen , 1877) |
The Central American Tapeti ( Sylvilagus gabbi ) is a species of cottontail rabbit ( Sylvilagus ), which in Central America from Mexico to Panama is located. The animals of the species were long assigned to the South American tapeti ( Sylvilagus brasiliensis ), but are now considered an independent species.
features
The Central American Tapeti reaches a head-torso length of 38 to 39 centimeters, the tail length is about 21 millimeters and the weight is between 500 and 950 grams. The ear length is 40 to 50 millimeters, the hind foot length on average 77 millimeters. It is therefore a comparatively small species of cottontail rabbit and it is slightly smaller than the Tapeti that lives in South America with very small ears and a short tail. The back color ranges from a black-brown to an almost monochrome black. The sides of the body and the top of the tail are usually a little lighter than the back color, the underside of the tail is brown. The ventral side is usually whitish, on the throat there is a dark brown throat spot.
The karyotype is variable and consists of a chromosome set of 2n = 36, 38 or 40 chromosomes.
distribution
The Central American Tapeti is widespread in Central America from eastern to southeastern Mexico to Panama . The distribution area of the northern subspecies and nominate form Sylvilagus gabbi gabbi extends from Mexico ( Tamaulipas , San Luis Potosí , Veracruz , Querétaro , Hidalgo , Puebla , Oaxaca , Chiapas , Tabasco and Campeche ) to Guatemala and Belize, while the subspecies Sylvilagus gabbi truei from Guatemala truei Honduras , Nicaragua and Costa Rica to Panama.
Way of life
The Central American Tapeti lives mainly in tropical forest and rainforest areas as well as in secondary forest stands up to heights of over 1500 meters. It prefers forest edge areas and habitats in the area of clearings and forest areas with little undergrowth. It uses well-trodden paths and feeds on plant material like other rabbits.
The females have a gestation period of around 28 days and give birth to 3 to 8 young animals per litter. They do not have a fixed reproductive time and can have offspring all year round.
Systematics
The Central American Tapeti is classified as an independent species within the genus of cottontail rabbits ( Sylvilagus ). The species was scientifically described in 1877 by the American zoologist Joel Asaph Allen , who named it and classified it as Lepus brasiliensis var. Gabbi . Originally, the Central American tapeti and the dice cottonseed rabbit ( S. dicei ) were considered subspecies of the tapeti ( Sylvilagis brasiliensis ), but today they are differentiated as separate species due to molecular biological, genetic and morphological characteristics.
Within the species, the nominate form currently distinguishes between two subspecies:
- Sylvilagus gabbi gabbi : nominate form; occurs in the northern part of the range from east to southeast Mexico to Guatemala and Belize.
- Sylvilagus gabbi truei : occurs in the southern part of the range from Guatemala to Panama.
The species was named after William More Gabb .
Hazard and protection
The Central American Tapeti is not recorded as a separate species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Central American Tapeti. In: SC Schai-Braun, K. Hackländer: Family Leporidae (Hares and Rabbits) 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. 121. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
- ^ A b Luis A. Ruedas, Jorge Salazar-Bravo: Morphological and chromosomal taxonomic assessment of Sylvilagus brasiliensis gabbi (Leporidae). Mammalia 71 (1/2), 2007; Pp. 63-69. doi : 10.1515 / MAMM.2007.011 .
- ↑ Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Sylvilagus (Tapeti) brasiliensis gabbi in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
literature
- Central American Tapeti. In: SC Schai-Braun, K. Hackländer: Family Leporidae (Hares and Rabbits) 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. 121. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .