Thrichomys apereoides (Lund, 1839)

Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Echimyidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 552-604 : 565

26.

Lagoa Santa Punare

Thrichomys apereoides

French: Punaré commun / German: Lagoa-Santa-Punaré / Spanish: Punaré de Lagoa Santa

Other common names: Common Punare

Taxonomy. Echimys apereoides Lund, 1839 ,

“Rio das Velhas Floddal,” Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Danish naturalist P. W. Lund initially described apereoides under the name Echimys apereoides but renamed it Echimys antricola in 1840. In 1880, E. L. Trouessart listed antricola in his erection of the genus Thrichomys , but in 1904, he recognized that apereoides had priority. F. F. Nascimento and colleagues in 2013 documented that specimens from Bahia State with the same diploid number but 52 autosomal arms (FN = 52) belonged to a separate molecular clade, which they referred to as 1 aff. apereoides that was distinct but currently undescribed species. Monotypic.

Distribution. EC Brazil (Bahia and Minas Geraisstates).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 197-209 mm, tail 164-179 mm; weight 210-300 g. Greatest skull length of the Lagoa Santa Punare averages 55-6 mm. Dorsal coloris brownish gray, ventral hairs are completely white or with a light gray bases, sharply contrasting with dorsal color. Dorsal tail hairs are dark brown; ventral hairs are whitish gray. Skull is most similar to that of the Sao Lourenco Punare (7. laurentius ), sharing elongated incisive foramina without lateral constriction at premaxillomaxillary suture and thin hamular processes of pterygoid bones that are pointed at tips. The Lagoa Santa Punare differs from of the Sao Lourenco Punare by having pronounced lateral flange on posterior margins of incisive foramina, Ushaped mesopterygoid fossa, and keeled palate with well-developed and deep palatal grooves. Chromosome complement is 2n = 28 and FN = 50-52.

Habitat. Southern Caatinga to northern Cerrado ecoregions at elevations of 890— 1110 m. Lagoa Santa Punares are found primarily in xeric and rocky environments, including human modified habitats where they can be important agricultural pests. They can occupy caves and human dwellings.

Food and Feeding. The Lagoa Santa Punare is omnivorous, with arthropods and seeds comprising its main food items. Large seeds are severely damaged by chewing but small seeds pass through the gut, permitting germination. The Lagoa Santa Punares might be important dispersers of small-seed plants.

Breeding. Female Lagoa Santa Punares have 2-3 litters/year, with average litter size of 3-1 young (range 1-6 young). Gestation is ¢.89 days. Sexual maturity is reached at 7-9 months ofage.

Activity patterns. The Lagoa Santa Punare is crepuscular to nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Size of daily home ranges of Lagoa Santa Punares vary with sex and age; they are smallest for subadult males and largest for adult males and intermediate for subadult and adult females. Space use also varies between wet and dry seasons for both sexes; wet season ranges are distinctly larger for both sexes. Males and females moveless on leaflitter in the dry season, but they move aboveground equally regardless of season.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population trends of Lagoa Santa Punares are unknown, but assessments were made before elevation of some member populations to full species status. It has been found in Pleistocene cave deposits.

Bibliography. de Almeida et al. (2013), Bonvicino et al. (2008), Lund (1839a, 1839b, 1840), Moojen (1952b), Nascimento et al. (2013), Pessoba, Tavares, Neves & da Silva (2015), Trouessart (1880, 1904).

Figures

12. Broad-headed Spiny-rat (Clyomys laticeps), 13. Guiara (Euryzygomatomys spinosus), 14. White-spined Spiny-rat (Irinomys albispinus), 15. Elias’s Spiny-rat (Trinomys eliasi), 16. Rigid-spined Atlantic Spiny-rat (Trinomys paratus), 17. Yonenaga’s Spiny-rat (Trinomys yonenagae), 18. Elegant-spined Atlantic Spiny-rat (Trinomys setosus), 19. Moojen’s Spiny-rat (Trinomys moojeni), 20. Pau Brasil Spiny-rat (Trinomys mirapitanga), 21. Rio de Janeiro Spiny-rat (Trinomys dimidiatus), 22. Sao Paulo Spiny-rat (Trinomys thering), 23. Gracile Atlantic Spiny-rat (Trinomys gratiosus), 24. Sao Lourenco Punare (Thrichomys laurentius), 25. Jacobina Punare (Thrichomys inermis), 26. Lagoa Santa Punare (Thrichomys apereoides), 27. Pantanal Punare (Thrichomys pachyurus), 28. Foster’s Punare (Thrichomys fosteri), 29. Painted Tree-rat (Callistomys pictus), 30. Coypu (Myocastor coypus), 31. Armored Rat (Hoplomys gymnurus)

Distribution. EC Brazil (Bahia and Minas Geraisstates).