Reig's shrew pouch rat
| Reig's shrew pouch rat | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Monodelphis reigi | ||||||||||||
| Lew & Pérez-Hernández , 2004 |
Reig's shrew pouch rat ( Monodelphis reigi ) lives in the Tepuis area in the state of Bolívar in eastern Venezuela, as well as in western Guyana in the Potaro-Siparuni region .
description
The holotype , the only measured adult specimen, has a head body length of 12.1 cm and a 7.4 cm long tail. The weight of the holotype was not determined. Young animals from Guyana weighed 19 g. The fur is short (4–5 mm), uniformly dark brown on the back and a little reddish brown on the head and neck. Median stripes and dark circles are missing. The belly is mainly gray in color and does not contrast clearly with the fur on the back and sides of the body. The feet are black or dark brown. The ears are short, hairless and blackish in color. The tail is only hairy on the 5 mm near the body, dark brown in color and relatively short with a length of 60% of the length of the head body. Females likely do not have a pouch. The number of teats is not known.
Way of life
Reig's shrew-pouch-rat probably only occurs in the area of the Tepuis and inhabits moist mountain forests there. The holotype was caught at an altitude of 1440 m above sea level in an evergreen mountain forest with little undergrowth and numerous epiphytes. The other previously known specimens come from dense vegetation at altitudes of 1100 to 2050 m on Mount Ayanganna in western Guyana. So far nothing is known about the behavior, diet, activity patterns and reproduction of the animals.
Systematics
Reig's shrew pouch rat was described in 2004 as a separate species within the shrew pouch rats by the Venezuelan zoologists Daniel Lew and Roger Pérez-Hernández.
status
Reig's shrew pouch rat is considered Vulnerable by the IUCN . So far it is only known from two localities, including the Canaima National Park , and is likely to have a very small distribution area. An important connection road to Brazil and a high-voltage line run through the Canaima National Park. Trees are felled at the park boundaries and gold and diamonds are mined.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d 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 148.
- ^ Daniel Lew, Roger Pérez-Hernández: Una nueva especie del género Monodelphis (Didelphimorphia: Didelphidae) de la sierra de Lema, Venezuela. Memoria de la Fundación La Salle de Ciencias Naturales 159-160, 2004; Pp. 7-25.
- ↑ Monodelphis reigi in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: Perez-Hernandez, R., Ventura, J. & López Fuster, M., 2015. Accessed September 19 of 2019.