Oligoryzomys magellanicus

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Oligoryzomys magellanicus
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Sigmodontinae
Genus: Oligoryzomys
Species:
O. magellanicus
Binomial name
Oligoryzomys magellanicus
(Bennett, 1836)

Oligoryzomys magellanicus, also known as the Patagonian colilargo [2] and the Magellanic pygmy rice rat, [1] is a species of rodent in the genus Oligoryzomys of the family Cricetidae. It is found in the southernmost parts of Argentina and Chile, including Tierra del Fuego and other outlying islands. [1] Its karyotype has 2n = 54 and FNa = 66. [3]

Contents

Taxonomy

There has been discussion as to whether Oligoryzomys magellanicus should be regarded as a full species or whether it should be considered to be a subspecies of Oligoryzomys longicaudatus . Milton H. Gallardo and Eduardo Palma (1990) recognised it as a valid species, basing their findings on "phallic morphology and karyotypic and morphometric data". [4]

Description

The Magellanic pygmy rice rat has a head-and-body length about equal to the length of its tail. The ears are moderately large, and are rounded with hairs on both surfaces. The dorsal pelage is greyish-buff and the underparts are whitish. The upper surface of both fore and hind feet is white. [5] Tufts of white hairs extend beyond the tips of the claws. The tail is slender and naked. [6]

Ecology

French Valley in the Torres del Paine National Park Valle del Frances.jpg
French Valley in the Torres del Paine National Park

Like other members of the genus, the Magellanic pygmy rice rat probably feeds on seeds, fruits and insects. Where it occurs in forests, it co-exists with the olive grass mouse (Abrothrix olivaceus) but not on the open pampas or in scrubland. One of the places where this pygmy rice rat can be found is the Torres del Paine National Park in the southern part of Chilean Patagonia. [5]

Status

O. magellanicus is common on Tierra del Fuego but is more localised further north. It faces no specific threats, has a wide range and occurs in a number of protected areas, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]

Related Research Articles

Sooretamys angouya, also known as the rat-headed rice rat, and Paraguayan rice rat, is a rodent species from South America. It is found in northeastern Argentina, southern Brazil and Paraguay in forested areas within the Atlantic Forest and cerrado. Since 2006, it has been classified as the only species in the genus Sooretamys; previously, it was included in the genus Oryzomys. Its taxonomic history has been complex, with the names Oryzomys angouya, Oryzomys buccinatus, and Oryzomys ratticeps in use for various parts of the species at different times. Some variation in its karyotype has been reported, with 2n = 80 to 82 and FN = 88 to 90.

Oligoryzomys chacoensis, also known as the Chacoan colilargo or Chacoan pygmy rice rat, is a rodent species from South America. It is found in the Gran Chaco region of southeastern Bolivia, southwestern Brazil, Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina. Its karyotype has 2n = 58 and FNa = 74.

<i>Oligoryzomys flavescens</i> Species of rodent

Oligoryzomys flavescens, also known as the flavescent colilargo or yellow pygmy rice rat is a species of rodent in the genus Oligoryzomys of family Cricetidae. It is found in southern South America, occurring in southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina. Its karyotype has 2n = 64-66 and FNa = 66-70.

<i>Oligoryzomys fulvescens</i> Species of rodent

Oligoryzomys fulvescens, also known as the fulvous colilargo, fulvous pygmy rice rat, or northern pygmy rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Oligoryzomys of family Cricetidae. It is found from southern Mexico through Central America into South America, where it occurs south into Peru and Brazil, and includes numerous synonyms, including the type species of the genus, Oryzomys navus Bangs, 1899. The taxonomy of this species is unresolved, and it may be found to contain more than one species. Its karyotype has 2n = 54-60 and FNa = 68–74.

Oligoryzomys microtis, also known as the small-eared colilargo or small-eared pygmy rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Oligoryzomys of family Cricetidae. It is found in western Brazil, eastern Peru, Bolivia, and northern Paraguay.

<i>Oligoryzomys nigripes</i> Species of rodent

Oligoryzomys nigripes, also known as the black-footed colilargo or the black-footed pygmy rice rat, is a rodent in the genus Oligoryzomys of family Cricetidae. Oligoryzomys nigripes is a species that has been further divided into different sister taxa throughout history. It is found in different countries in South America. It is a large species with long ears, dark yellow to dark brown upperparts, sharply delimited from the whitish underparts, and often a pink girdle on the chest. This species of rat spends much of its life among the trees. The karyotype is 2n = 62, FNa = 78–82.

Oligoryzomys stramineus, also known as the straw-colored colilargo or straw-colored pygmy rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Oligoryzomys of the family Cricetidae. It occurs only in the cerrado and caatinga ecoregions of northeastern Brazil. Its karyotype has 2n = 52 and FNa = 68-70.

<i>Oligoryzomys</i> Genus of rodents

Oligoryzomys is a genus of rodents in the tribe Oryzomyini of family Cricetidae. Many species are known as pygmy rice rats or colilargos. The genus is found from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego and includes approximately 17 species.

Abrothrix olivacea, also known as the olive grass mouse or olive akodont, is a species of rodent in the genus Abrothrix of family Cricetidae. It is found from northern Chile into southern Chile and Argentina, including the islands of Tierra del Fuego. It is prone to large swings in population size.

<i>Abrothrix</i> Genus of rodents

Abrothrix is a genus of rodent in the tribe Abrotrichini of family Cricetidae. It contains the following living species:

The Patagonian chinchilla mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It was first described by George Robert Waterhouse in 1839. It is found in Tierra del Fuego and neighboring areas of southernmost Argentina and Chile.

Irenomys tarsalis, also known as the Chilean climbing mouse, Chilean tree mouse, or long-footed irenomys, is a rodent found in Chile, from about 36° to 46°S, and in adjacent Argentina, mainly in forests. It is a large, long-tailed, soft-furred mouse characterized by grooved upper incisors and specialized molars with transverse ridges, divided by deep valleys, which are connected by a transverse ridge along the midline of the molars.

Oligoryzomys andinus, also known as the Andean colilargo or Andean pygmy rice rat, is a species of rodent in genus Oligoryzomys of family Cricetidae. It is found in the Andes of southern Peru and western Bolivia, but may in fact include more than one species. Its karyotype has 2n = 60 and FNa = 70.

Oligoryzomys destructor, also known as Tschudi's colilargo or the destructive pygmy rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Oligoryzomys of family Cricetidae. It is found along the eastern Andes from southern Colombia, through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia into northern Argentina. Its karyotype has 2n = 60 and FNa = 76.

Oligoryzomys griseolus, also known as the grizzled colilargo or the grayish pygmy rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Oligoryzomys of family Cricetidae. It is found in the Andes of Venezuela and nearby Colombia. Its karyotype has 2n = 62 and FNa = 74–76.

<i>Oligoryzomys longicaudatus</i> Species of rodent

Oligoryzomys longicaudatus, also known as the long-tailed colilargo or long-tailed pygmy rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Oligoryzomys of the family Cricetidae. It is found in the southern Andes of Chile and Argentina, with an outlying population in eastern Argentina. As a common species with a wide range and a stable population, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated this rodent as being of "least concern".

<i>Oligoryzomys vegetus</i> Species of rodent

Oligoryzomys vegetus, also known as the sprightly colilargo or sprightly pygmy rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Oligoryzomys of family Cricetidae. It is found only in the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama.

Oligoryzomys fornesi, also known as Fornes' colilargo, is a species of rodent in the genus Oligoryzomys of family Cricetidae. It is found from northeastern Brazil via Paraguay into northeastern Argentina. Its karyotype has 2n = 62 and FNa = 64.

Chelemys delfini, also known as the Magellanic long-clawed akodont, is a species of rodent in the genus Chelemys of family Cricetidae. It is endemic to the areas of Punta Arenas and Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile, where it lives in the grassland and scrub of the Magellanic steppe. It has sometimes been considered a subspecies of C. megalonyx.

<i>Juliomys anoblepas</i> Species of rodent

Juliomys anoblepas is a rodent in the genus Juliomys of the subfamily Sigmodontinae known from a single broken skull. The specimen was collected by Peter Wilhelm Lund in the caves of Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in the first half of the 19th century and described by Herluf Winge in 1888 as Calomys anoblepas. The species remained unstudied and its affinities unclear until 2011, when it was recognized as a member of the genus Juliomys, which includes three other species from southern Brazil and nearby Argentina and Paraguay. J. anoblepas is probably a separate extinct species of the genus, which is no longer found at Lagoa Santa.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Pardinas, U.; D'Elia, G.; Teta, P. (2016). "Oligoryzomys magellanicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T15251A22358394. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T15251A22358394.en . Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. Musser and Carleton, 2005
  3. Weksler, M.; Bonvicino, C. R. (2005). "Taxonomy of pygmy rice rats genus Oligoryzomys Bangs, 1900 (Rodentia, Sigmodontinae) of the Brazilian Cerrado, with the description of two new species" (PDF). Arquivos do Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro. 63 (1): 113–130. ISSN   0365-4508. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-26.
  4. Gallardo, Milton H.; Palma, Eduardo (1990). "Systematics of Oryzomys longicaudatus (Rodentia: Muridae) in Chile". Mammalogy. 71 (3): 333–342. doi:10.2307/1381943.
  5. 1 2 Patton, James L.; Pardiñas, Ulyses F.J.; D’Elía, Guillermo (2015). Mammals of South America, Volume 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press. pp. 429–430. ISBN   978-0-226-16957-6.
  6. Nowak, Ronald M. (1999). Walker's Mammals of the World. JHU Press. pp. 1368–1369. ISBN   978-0-8018-5789-8.

Literature cited