South American tree prickers
The division of living beings into systematics is a continuous subject of research. Different systematic classifications exist side by side and one after the other. The taxon treated here has become obsolete due to new research or is not part of the group systematics presented in the German-language Wikipedia.
A genus of rodents from the tree prick family (Erethizontidae) living in Central and South America was designated as the South American tree prick ( Sphiggurus ) . According to molecular genetic studies from 2013, these form a common group with the prey spines ( Coendou ). The genus Sphiggurus was therefore dissolved and transferred to the genus Coendou .
The animals reach a head body length of 28 to 65 centimeters, to which a tail 18 to 39 centimeters long comes. The weight - as far as known - is 0.5 to 1.3 kilograms. Like all tree prickers, these animals are characterized by their prickly fur. Their long fur is provided with longer spines on the upper side and is colored yellowish or gray-brown. The underside is much softer and yellow-brown or dark brown. The small head sits on a short neck and is characterized by the wide snub nose. The feet and the long tail show adaptations to the tree-dwelling way of life of these animals: the toes are provided with sharp claws, the tail can be used as a prehensile tail.
The distribution area of the South American tree spines extends from eastern Mexico to southeastern Brazil and northern Argentina . Their habitat is primarily forests.
These animals are mostly high up in trees. They are slow but confident climbers who use their tails along with their limbs to move forward. They are nocturnal and sleep during the day in dense vegetation or tree hollows, but some animals have also been found in burrows on the ground. Little research has been done into social behavior. Observations on animals in captivity have shown that the males react aggressively to one another, but live peacefully next to two or three females. The diet of these animals consists of leaves, stems, fruits and flowers, sometimes they also consume subterranean parts of plants such as roots. Little is known about reproduction. Usually a single young animal is born, as with many guinea pig relatives , the gestation period is relatively long and the level of development of the newborns is very high.
The following species were placed among the South American tree cutters:
- Striped tree prick ( Sphiggurus ichillus ) was not scientifically described until 2001. The species lives in eastern Ecuador and perhaps in neighboring regions of Peru .
- Woolly tree prick ( Sphiggurus insidiosus ) is native to southeastern Brazil .
- Black-tailed tree prick ( Sphiggurus melanurus ) is common in much of northern South America.
- Central American tree spines ( Sphiggurus mexicanus ) has the northernmost range of all species, it is distributed from eastern Mexico to Panama .
- Point back Baumstachler ( Sphiggurus pruinosus ) is known only from a few specimens that in Venezuela were found.
- Roosmalen tree prick ( Sphiggurus roosmalenorum ) was not scientifically described until 2001. The species lives along the Rio Madeira in Brazil.
- Thick-haired tree prick ( Sphiggurus spinosus , including Sphiggurus villosus ) has the southernmost distribution area. The species lives in southeastern Brazil, Paraguay , Uruguay and northern Argentina .
- Brown tree prick ( Sphiggurus vestitus ) lives in Colombia and Venezuela. The IUCN lists the species as endangered.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- 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 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Robert S. Voss, Caldonia Hubbard and Sharon A. Jansa: Phylogenetic Relationships of New World Porcupines (Rodentia, Erethizontidae): Implications for Taxonomy, Morphological Evolution, and Biogeography. American Museum Novitates 3769, 2013, pp. 1-36. doi: 10.1206 / 3769.2
- ^ Robert S. Voss: Family Erethizontidae Bonaparte, 1845. In: James L. Patton, Ulyses FJ Pardiñas and Guillermo D'Elía (Eds.): Mammals of South America, Volume 2: Rodents. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2015, pp. 786-805
Web links
- Illustrations of South American tree cutters
- Endangerment level of the individual species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .