Sage rock rat
| Sage rock rat | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Aconaemys sagei | ||||||||||||
| Pearson , 1984 |
The forecast Rock Rat ( Aconaemys sagei ) is the smallest species of South American rock rats within the octodontidae (Octodontidae). Their range is limited to a small region in central Chile and western Argentina .
features
The Sage rock rat reaches a head-trunk length of 14.0 to 15.9 centimeters with a weight of 83 to 110 grams. The tail is 58 to 68 millimeters long, the hind foot length is 26 to 29 millimeters and the ear length is 17 to 19 millimeters. This makes it the smallest species of the South American rock rats. The back fur is dark brown, the belly side yellow-brown. The tail is slightly hairy and two-colored with a lighter underside.
The skull is narrower and less high than in the two related species. The chromosome set consists of 2n = 54 (FN = 104) chromosomes.
distribution
The distribution area of the Sage rock rat is limited to a small region in central Chile and western Argentina . In Chile, the species occurs in the provinces of Malleco and Cautín in the Región de la Araucanía , in Argentina on Lago Quillén and Lago Hui Hui in the province of Neuquén .
Way of life
The habitats are typically found in open grass areas without grazing and in young secondary forest areas of Nothofagus with an undergrowth of bamboo. The animals are diurnal and strictly herbivorous . They feed exclusively by green parts of plants, the cecum (cecum) is correspondingly large. They live primarily underground and on the ground and are active digging. In areas where they occur there are numerous open burrows with mounds of ejecta and paths laid out on them. Communication takes place via high shouts and quiet chuckling utterances.
No information is available on the mating times and reproduction of the species.
Systematics
The Sage rock rat is classified as an independent species within the genus of the South American rock rat ( Aconaemys ), which consists of three species. The first scientific description comes from the American mammalogen Oliver Paynie Pearson from 1984 and was based on individuals from Lago Quillén in Argentina from an altitude of 1050 meters. The South American rock rat ( Aconaemys fuscus ) was identified as a sister species on the basis of molecular biological data .
Apart from the nominate form, no subspecies are distinguished within the species .
Status, threat and protection
The Sage rock rat is classified as "data deficient" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) due to a lack of data on the population and population development. It is common in the regions where the species occurs, but the overall range is comparatively small. The decline in suitable habitats is assumed to be a potential threat to stocks.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j A.A. Ojeda: Sage's Rock Rat - Aconaemys sagei. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editors): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6), Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016; P. 551. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
- ↑ a b Aconaemys sagei in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2017-2. Posted by: N. Roach, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ↑ Aconaemys sagei . 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 .
literature
- AA Ojeda: Sage's Rock Rat - Aconaemys sagei. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editors): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6), Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016; P. 551. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
Web links
- Aconaemys sagei inthe IUCN 2017-2 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: N. Roach, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2017.