Osvaldo Reig Comb rat

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Osvaldo Reig 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 : Osvaldo Reig Comb rat
Scientific name
Ctenomys osvaldoreigi
Contreras , 1995

The Osvaldo Reig comb rat ( Ctenomys osvaldoreigi ) is a type of comb rats . The species occurs in north-central Argentina , where it has only been recorded in the province of Cordoba . The species scientifically described in 1995 is only known from one site in the Argentine highlands and is considered to be critically endangered.

features

The Osvaldo Reig comb rat reaches a total length of about 27.5 centimeters with a weight of about 244 grams (data of the male holotype ) or a total length of 25.4 centimeters with a weight of 203 grams (data of the female paratype ). It is a medium-sized species of the genus. The back coloring is monochrome ocher brown with sand colored hair tips. The color of the abdomen is lighter ocher, there are no white spots in the loin or armpits. The tail is two-colored with a dark top and a light, cream-colored underside.

The skull is small and graceful. The snout region is elongated and a little flared to the sides. The zygomatic arches are slim and the width in the area of ​​the zygomatic arches is significantly larger than in the area of ​​the ear openings. Temple ridges are only slightly developed. The tympanic membranes are small and not swollen.

The karyotype consists of a chromosome set of 2n = 52 (FN = 56). The sperm are slightly asymmetrical in shape.

distribution

The distribution area of ​​the Osvaldo Reig crested rat is limited to north-central Argentina , where it has only been proven to be endemic from the location of the types in the Sierras Grandes in the south of the Cruz del Eje department in the province of Córdoba . The site is at an altitude of over 2000 meters.

Way of life

As with most species of comb rats, very little information is available about the way of life of the Osvaldo Reig comb rat. Like all comb rats, it lives largely underground in tunnel systems that it creates in the sandy soils of the highland meadows. The animals eat vegetarian food from the available plants and are solitary animals.

Systematics

The Osvaldo Reig comb rat is classified as an independent species within the genus of the comb rats ( Ctenomys ), which consists of about 70 species. The first scientific description of the species comes from the Argentine zoologist Julio Rafael Contreras from 1995, who described it using several individuals from the south of the Cruz del Eje department in the Argentine province of Córdoba. The species is currently not assigned to any species complex within the crested rats.

Apart from the nominate form, no subspecies are distinguished within the species . Was named Ctenomys osvaldoreigi after the 1992 deceased Argentine zoologists and paleontologists Osvaldo Reig .

Status, threat and protection

The Osvaldo Reig comb rat is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as critically endangered. This is justified with the very small usable distribution area of ​​less than 4 km 2 in the Sierras Grandes, where it is only known from one site. In 2006, the population was badly affected by a fire, which was followed by the expansion of sheep pastures, which further narrowed the remaining small population.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Osvaldo Reig's 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 osvaldoreigi . 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 c Ctenomys osvaldoreigi in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2019. Posted by: CJ Bidau, 2016. Retrieved on 25 May 2020th

literature

  • Osvaldo Reig's 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 .

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