Mountain degu

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Mountain degu
Octodontomys gliroides 238516748.jpg
Mountain degu in Humahuaca Department, Argentina
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Octodontidae
Genus: Octodontomys
Palmer, 1903
Species:
O. gliroides
Binomial name
Octodontomys gliroides
(Gervais & d'Orbigny, 1844)
Octodontomys gliroides range.svg
O. gliroides range

The mountain degu (Octodontomys gliroides), also known as the Andean degu, [2] is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae. It is the only species in the genus Octodontomys. [3] It is found in the foothills of the Andes in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.

Contents

Phylogeny

The phylogeny and placement of O. gliroides in relation to other octodontids was originally unclear. [4] A study of mitochondrial DNA across the species' range published in 2016 solidified Octodontomys as a monophyletic group, albeit one with two distinct lineages, one of which is distributed across Bolivia and northern Chile, the other restricted to Argentina. [2]

The following cladogram is adapted from Rivera et al., 2014: [5]

Octodontidae
Octodontidae

Description

O. gliroides illustration by Joseph Smit, 1902 NeoctodonSimonsiSmit.jpg
O. gliroides illustration by Joseph Smit, 1902

The mountain degu is a moderate sized rodent with a length of 200 to 380 mm (8 to 15 in), including a tail of 100 to 190 mm (4 to 7 in), and a bodyweight in the range 100 to 200 grams (4 to 7 oz). The hairs are long and silky. The upper surface is greyish-brown, the chin is pure white, and the underparts are white with a grey base to the hairs. There is a tuft of white hair in front of the large ears, which are clad in short grey hair. The slender tail is bi-coloured (dark above and pale below) and has a tuft of brown or ochre hairs at the tip. Juveniles have darker fur above and greyer underparts. Their tails are brownish with a dark brown or black tufted tip. [6]

Distribution and habitat

This species is found in the mountainous areas of southwestern Bolivia, northwestern Argentina and northern Chile. [7] It has a wide altitudinal range, occurring at 200 to 300 metres (660 to 980 ft) in Jujuy Province in Argentina, and at 4,400 metres (14,400 ft) in Potosí Department in Bolivia. The only species of octodontid found in the higher parts of its range, it inhabits dry rocky areas with tall cacti, shrubs and herbs. [6]

Behaviour

The mountain degu is a nocturnal, herbivorous rodent, being most active just after sunset. [8] It does not have any special adaptations of skull or limbs for tunnelling, but digs short burrows and lives under rocks and in caves. Its tail can be autotomised, and it can be used as a prop when climbing. It is a sociable animal and communicates by means of a range of low, medium and high-pitched gurgles, twitters and squeaks, [6] similar to the common degu and various species in genus Cavia . [9] Social groups of the mountain degu range from 2 to 4 individuals that share a burrow system together to rest and hide from predators. Female mountain degus have a smaller home range than that of males. [10]

The mountain degu feeds on the leaves and bark of shrubs, and on Acacia sheaths in the winter and on cactus fruits in the summer. It can obtain sufficient moisture from its food, particularly cactus, to satisfy its water requirements. [6]

Mountain degu young in various stages of development have been found in November, and pregnant females and young in both January and May. A gestation period of 100-109 days has been reported with a litter size of one to three pups. The pups are precocial when born, already having their eyes open and being well-furred. [8]

Relationship with humans

The mountain degu is known to host parasites that are infectious to humans, such as the Chagas disease-causing Trypanosoma cruzi . It is also parasitized by bloodsucking fleas in genus Ectinorus and lice in the genera Ferrisella . Otherwise, it has little to no societal impact, similar to other degus. [11]

Conservation status

O. gliroides is listed as being of "least concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature because of its wide distribution, its presumed large population, its occurrence in some protected areas and apparent tolerance of some degree of habitat modification. [1]

Related Research Articles

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The common degu, or, historically, the degu, is a small hystricomorpha rodent endemic to the Chilean matorral ecoregion of central Chile. The name degu on its own indicates either the entire genus Octodon or, more commonly, just the common degu. Common degus belong to the parvorder Caviomorpha of the infraorder Hystricognathi, along with the chinchilla and guinea pig. The word degu comes from the indigenous language of Chile, Mapudungun, and the word dewü, meaning 'mouse' or 'rat'.

<i>Octodon</i> Genus of rodents

Octodon is a genus of octodontid rodents native to South America, in particular in the Chilean Andes. The best-known member is the common degu, O. degus, which is kept as a pet in various countries. Two of the four species of degus are nocturnal.

The golden viscacha rat or golden vizcacha rat is the single species of the genus Pipanacoctomys of the rodent family Octodontidae. It has 92 chromosomes and has been regarded as tetraploid. This octodontid and its sister-species, the plains viscacha rat, may have arisen from the diploid mountain viscacha rat, as a result of the doubling and subsequent loss of some chromosomes. However, some genetic studies have rejected any polyploidism in mammals as unlikely, and suggest that amplification and dispersion of repetitive sequences best explain the large genome size.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bennett's chinchilla rat</span> Species of rodent

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moon-toothed degu</span> Species of rodent

The moon-toothed degu is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae. It is endemic to Chile, occurring in mountainous areas along the Pacific coast in the central part of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific degu</span> Species of rodent

The Pacific degu, also known as the Mocha Island degu, is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae. It is endemic to Mocha Island in Chile. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. It was classified in 1994 by Dr. Rainer Hutterer.

The mountain viscacha rat or mountain vizcacha rat, historically viscacha rat or vizcacha rat, is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae. It is endemic to Argentina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plains viscacha rat</span> Species of rodent

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Octodontidae</span> Family of rodents

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References

  1. 1 2 Weksler, M. (2016). "Octodontomys gliroides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T15091A22240265. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T15091A22240265.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Rivera, Daniela S.; Vianna, Juliana A.; Ebensperger, Luis A.; Eduardo Palma, R. (October 2016). "Phylogeography and demographic history of the Andean degu, Octodontomys gliroides (Rodentia: Octodontidae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 178 (2): 410–430. doi:10.1111/zoj.12412.
  3. ↑ Woods, C.A.; Kilpatrick, C.W. (2005). "Genus Octodontomys". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1572. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  4. ↑ Verzi, Diego H.; Olivares, A. Itatí; Morgan, Cecilia C.; Álvarez, Alicia (March 2016). "Contrasting Phylogenetic and Diversity Patterns in Octodontoid Rodents and a New Definition of the Family Abrocomidae". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 23 (1): 93–115. doi:10.1007/s10914-015-9301-1. ISSN   1064-7554.
  5. ↑ Rivera, Daniela S.; Abades, Sebastian; Alfaro, Fernando D.; Ebensperger, Luis A. (2014-10-31). "Sociality of Octodontomys gliroides and other octodontid rodents reflects the influence of phylogeny". Journal of Mammalogy. 95 (5): 968–980. doi:10.1644/14-MAMM-A-057. ISSN   0022-2372.
  6. 1 2 3 4 James L. Patton; Ulyses F. J. Pardiñas; Guillermo D'Elía (9 March 2015). Mammals of South America, Volume 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press. pp. 1035–1037. ISBN   978-0-226-16960-6. OCLC   904333770.
  7. ↑ Ojeda 2016, p. 548.
  8. 1 2 Ojeda 2016, p. 549.
  9. ↑ Schleich, Cristian E.; Veitl, Silke; Knotková, Ema; Begall, Sabine (2007), Begall, Sabine; Burda, Hynek; Schleich, Cristian E. (eds.), "Acoustic Communication in Subterranean Rodents", Subterranean Rodents, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 113–127, doi:10.1007/978-3-540-69276-8_10, ISBN   978-3-540-69275-1 , retrieved 2025-01-10
  10. ↑ Ojeda 2016, pp. 542–544.
  11. ↑ Ojeda 2016, pp. 544–545.

Sources

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