Medium comb rat

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Medium 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 : Medium comb rat
Scientific name
Ctenomys pontifex
Thomas , 1918

The mean comb rat or San Luis comb rat ( Ctenomys pontifex ) is a type of comb rat . The species occurs in west-central Argentina , where it is only found in the province of Mendoza in the east of the Andes .

features

The medium comb rat reaches a head-trunk length of 18.3 centimeters with a tail length of 7.7 centimeters, the hind foot length is 34 millimeters. All information comes from the type specimen , information on weight is not available. It is a medium-sized species of the genus. The color of the back is monotonous brown without darker spots, the color of the abdomen is paler and sandy brown. The tail is two-colored with a brown top and a lighter, whitish underside.

The skull is comparatively narrow and the skull has no pronounced crests. The zygomatic arches are not greatly expanded and have a protrusion pointing forward about in the middle. The nasal bones are long and almost parallel. The tympanic membranes are long and narrow and differ significantly from those of the Mendoza comb rat ( Ctenomys mendocinus ).

The karyotype consists of a double chromosome set of 2n = 50 chromosomes. The shape of the sperm is unknown.

distribution

The distribution area of ​​the middle crested rat is limited to western central Argentina , where it has only been proven to be endemic in the province of Mendoza in the east of the Andes .

Way of life

As is the case with most species of comb rats, very little information is available about the way of life of the middle crested rat. Like all comb rats, it lives largely underground in duct systems that it creates in dry, sandy soils. The animals eat vegetarian food from the available plants, especially from above-ground parts of grass and leaves. They are loners (solitary).

Systematics

The middle crested rat is classified as an independent species within the genus of crested rats ( Ctenomys ), which consists of about 70 species. The first scientific description of the species comes from the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas from 1918, who described it on the basis of individuals from the region near Fort San Rafael in the province of Mendoza in the eastern Andes. In part, it was assigned to the Maule-comb rat ( Ctenomys maulinus ) as a possible synonym .

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

Status, threat and protection

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) does not classify the mean comb rat in a hazard category because of a lack of data , but rather lists it as "data deficient". It is believed that the species is likely to be endangered, but the data available are insufficient to allow it to be classified.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Brown 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. 533. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
  2. ↑ a b c Ctenomys pontifex . 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 .
  3. ↑ a b Ctenomys pontifex in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2019. Posted by: R. Ojeda, 2019. Accessed June 1, 2020.

literature

  • Brown 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. 533. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .

Web links