Isothrix barbarabrownae

Last updated

Isothrix barbarabrownae
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Echimyidae
Subfamily: Echimyinae
Tribe: Echimyini
Genus: Isothrix
Species:
I. barbarabrownae
Binomial name
Isothrix barbarabrownae

Isothrix barbarabrownae is a recently discovered species of rodents of the spiny rat family Echimyidae. [1]

Discovery

Family tree of spiny rats Echimyidae phylogeny.jpg
Family tree of spiny rats

It was discovered in Peru, and is about the same size as a large squirrel, such as a Eurasian red squirrel. [1] It is brown, with a black-and-white tail. [1] It inhabits the Peruvian cloud forest, where it forages for fruit and nuts. It is a nocturnal, climbing rodent which was collected by scientists in 1999, and formally described in 2006. [2] It is named after the biologist and curator, Barbara Elaine Russell Brown. [3]

Related Research Articles

The Andean rat, or white-tailed akodont, is the only species in the genus Lenoxus. It is a rodent in the tribe Akodontini found on the eastern slopes of the Andes of eastern Peru and western Bolivia. Examination of its genome shows that this species is not closely related to Oxymycterus as had previously been thought, but is quite distinct, having diverged from the other Akodontini soon after the basal radiation of the entire group.

Painted tree-rat A species of mammals belonging to the spiny rat family of rodents

The painted tree-rat is a species of spiny rat from Brazil, restricted to north-eastern Bahia in eastern Brazil. It is the only species in the genus Callistomys.

The toros or brush-tailed rats, genus Isothrix, are a group of spiny rats found in tropical South America, particularly in the Amazon Basin.

The Atlantic bamboo rat, or southern bamboo rat, is a spiny rat species from South America, found in humid tropical forests in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. It is the only member of the genus Kannabateomys.

Phyllomys is a genus of arboreal spiny rat, geographically restricted to the forests of eastern Brazil.

Panay cloudrunner

The Panay cloudrunner is the second-largest cloud rat, a squirrel-like rodent that is found on the island of Panay in the Philippines. It is the most endangered rodent species in Panay, and one of the only few known cloud rat species in the world.

Nephelomys auriventer, also known as the golden-bellied oryzomys or Ecuadorian rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. Oldfield Thomas originally described it, in 1899, as a species of Oryzomys, Oryzomys auriventer, and considered it most similar to Oryzomys aureus. In 1926, a subspecies was described from an Ecuadorian locality, Oryzomys auriventer nimbosus, and it was suggested that O. auriventer was closely related to O. albigularis. This proposal was formalized in 1961 by including O. auriventer within the species O. albigularis, but by 1976 O. auriventer was recognized again as a separate species. In 2006, Oryzomys albigularis and related species, including O. auriventer, were transferred to the new genus Nephelomys. Simultaneously, the former subspecies nimbosus was recognized as a separate species, Nephelomys nimbosus.

Oreoryzomys balneator, also known as the Peruvian rice rat or Ecuadoran oryzomys, is a species of rodent in the tribe Oryzomyini of family Cricetidae. It is found in Ecuador and northern Peru in cloud forest at elevations from 1500 to 1800 m. It is the only species in the genus Oreoryzomys, which was included in Oryzomys until 2006. The genus name Oreoryzomys is a combination of ορος the Greek word for "mountain" with the old genus name Oryzomys and refers to the mountainous habitat of O. balneator. Recent research suggests that O. balneator is not closely related to Oryzomys, but instead is probably related to Microryzomys within a clade also including Neacomys and Oligoryzomys.

The montane bamboo rat or Peruvian bamboo rat, is a species of rodent in the family Echimyidae. It is found in Bolivia and Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Red-crested tree-rat A species of mammal belonging to the spiny rat family of rodents, characterized by a critically endangered status

The red-crested tree-rat or Santa Marta toro is a species of tree-rat found in the monotypic genus Santamartamys in the family Echimyidae. It is nocturnal and is believed to feed on plant matter, and is mainly rufous, with young specimens having a grey coat. IUCN list the species as critically endangered: it is affected by feral cats, climate change, and the clearing of forest in its potential range in coastal Colombia.

The dark spiny tree-rat is a species of rodent in the family Echimyidae. It is a rarely encountered and nocturnal species, found in eastern Ecuador and central Peru.

The Pacific spiny rat is a species of rodent in the family Echimyidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.

Tufted ground squirrel

The tufted ground squirrel or groove-toothed squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is the sole species in the genus Rheithrosciurus. It is found only on the island of Borneo. Confirmed elements of its diet include nuts, seeds and insects, for which it has been filmed foraging on the forest floor.

Rodent Diverse order of mammals

Rodents are mammals of the order Rodentia, which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents; they are found in vast numbers on all continents except Antarctica. They are the most diversified mammalian order and live in a variety of terrestrial habitats, including human-made environments.

The Peruvian climbing mouse or lesser Peruvian rhipidomys, is a South American species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is endemic to the eastern slopes of the Andes in central Peru, where it is found at altitudes from 700 to 1,800 metres. The species is nocturnal and arboreal, and lives in lower montane forest and cloud forest. It is threatened by forest clearance for agriculture and coca cultivation but is listed as a "least-concern species" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Wildlife of Peru

Peru has some of the greatest biodiversity in the world. It belongs to the select group of mega diverse countries because of the presence of the Andes, Amazon rainforest, and the Pacific Ocean. It has the fourth-most tropical forests of any country and the ninth-most forest area.

James L. Patton

James Lloyd Patton, is an American evolutionary biologist and mammalogist. He is emeritus professor of integrative biology and curator of mammals at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, UC Berkeley and has made extensive contributions to the systematics and biogeography of several vertebrate taxa, especially small mammals.

Louise H. Emmons is an American zoologist.

Barbara Elaine Russell Brown

Barbara Elaine Russell Brown was an American biologist and philanthropist.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Scientists discover new species of distinctive cloud-forest rodent". Science Daily. January 25, 2007.
  2. Bruce D. Patterson & Paul M. Velazco (2006). "A distinctive new cloud-forest rodent (Hystricognathi: Echimyidae) from the Manu Biosphere Reserve, Peru" (PDF). Mastozoología Neotropical. 13 (2): 175–191.
  3. Beolens, Bo. (2009). The eponym dictionary of mammals. Watkins, Michael, 1940-, Grayson, Michael. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 28. ISBN   978-0-8018-9533-3. OCLC   593239356.