Abrocoma

Unusual morphological and behavioural traits in Abrocoma (Rodentia: Abrocomidae) from Argentina.

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

This is an entirely South American group previously known only from Abrocoma Waterhouse 1837, members of which are sometimes called rat chinchillas, chinchilla rats or chinchilliones, and from the Miocene fossil Protabrocoma Kraglievich 1927.

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

-- Abrocoma uspallata Braun & Mares, 2002, an Argentinian chinchilla rat with larger ears and a longer tail than related species.

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

-- Abrocoma boliviensis Glanz & Anderson, 1990, a Bolivian chinchilla rat known from two specimens, one collected in 1926 and the other in 1955.

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

So now there is a second extant abrocomid taxon, and it and Abrocoma are actually quite different.

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

Systematics of the Abrocoma cinerea species complex (Rodentia: Abrocomidae), with a description of a new species of Abrocoma.

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

A new species of Abrocoma (Rodentia) and relationships of the Abrocomidae.

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

Abrocoma produces midden piles, and Pleistocene rodent middens from Chile have been identified by DNA analysis as having been produced by Abrocoma (Kuch et al. 2002).

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

Emmons’ discovery of Cuscomys ashaninka allowed her to determine that the abrocomid in the Machu Picchu graves wasn’t a species of Abrocoma as Eaton had thought, but a second member of Cuscomys, so it became renamed C. oblativus.

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

While Cuscomys shares derived characters with Abrocoma not present in other rodents, it’s larger, long-tailed and with features indicating a scansorial lifestyle.

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006