Reddish comb rat

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Reddish 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 : Reddish comb rat
Scientific name
Ctenomys frater
Thomas , 1902

The reddish comb rat or forest comb rat ( Ctenomys frater ) is a type of comb rats . The species was first scientifically described in 1902 by Oldfield Thomas after a type specimen from Bolivia . The species occurs in several subspecies in the south of Bolivia and in northern Argentina .

features

The reddish comb rat reaches a head-torso length of up to 17.3 to 19.6 centimeters and a tail length of 55 to 76 millimeters. The rear foot length is about 31 to 36 millimeters, the ear length about 7 to 9 millimeters. It is a small to medium-sized species of the genus. The coloring of the animals is regional and variable depending on the subspecies. The nominate form Ctenomys f. frater and the subspecies Ctenomys f. mordosus are brown on the top and pale sandy brown on the underside with no lighter lumbar region. The other subspecies are dark red-brown to black or reddish to copper-colored.

The skull is domed. The front teeth are large and the upper front teeth are almost orthodontic .

The karyotype consists of a chromosome set of 2n = 52 chromosomes (FN = 78). The sperm are built symmetrically.

distribution

The reddish comb rat lives in southern Bolivia as well as in northern and northwestern Argentina, where it is represented in several subspecies.

Way of life

The habitats of the red crested rat are shaped by the Mesian forest areas, i.e. areas of medium humidity, the Andean region in southern Bolivia and northern Argentina. Like all other crested rats, it lives on the ground and digs in the ground, preferring gently sloping areas with deep bottoms, often near small rivers and streams. It is a herbivorous species that uses underground tubers and roots.

Systematics

The reddish comb rat is classified as an independent species in the genus of the comb rats ( Ctenomys ). This consists of about 70 species. The first scientific description of the species comes from the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas from 1902, who described it using an individual from Potosí in Bolivia.

Due to its molecular biological characteristics, the species is regarded as a sister species of the Conover comb rat ( Ctenomys conoveri ) and the Lewis comb rat ( Ctenomys lewisi ), and with these it is assigned to the frater group within the genus.

Within the species, five subspecies are distinguished with the nominate form :

  • Ctenomys frater frater : The nominate form is described from central to southern Bolivia in the Potosí department .
  • Ctenomys frater barbarous : The subspecies occurs in northwest Argentina in the province of Jujuy and the adjacent province of Salta .
  • Ctenomys frater budini : The subspecies lives in northwestern Argentina in the high altitudes of the provinces Jujuy and Salta.
  • Ctenomys frater mordosus : The subspecies occurs in the south of Bolivia in the Tarija department and probably in the north of the neighboring Argentine province of Jujuy.
  • Ctenomys frater sylvanus : The subspecies lives in northwestern Argentina at the foot of the Andes in the east of the Jujuy province and in the west of Salta.

Status, threat and protection

The reddish comb rat is listed as not endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). It occurs comparatively regularly in its limited range and is adaptable to changes in habitat. The population is likely to be stable and there are currently no known threats to the population for this species.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Forest 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. 515. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
  2. ↑ a b c Ctenomys steinbachi in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2018 Posted by: E. Vivar, 2016. Retrieved on May 29 of 2019.
  3. ↑ Andrés Parada, Guillermo D'Elía, Claudio J. Bidau, Enrique P. Lessa: Species groups and the evolutionary diversification of tuco-tucos, genus Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae). Journal of Mammalogy 92 (3), June 9, 2011; Pp. 671-682. doi : 10.1644 / 10-MAMM-A-121.1

literature

  • Forest 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. 515. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .