Octodon degus (Molina 1782)

[Sciurus] degus Molina 1782, Sagg. Stor. Nat. Chile: 303.

Type Locality: Chile, Santiago Prov., Santiago.

Vernacular Names: Degu.

Synonyms: Octodon alba Fitzinger 1867; Octodon clivorum Thomas 1927; Octodon cumingii Bennett 1832; Octodon getulus (Poeppig 1829); Octodon kummingii (Schinz 1845); Octodon pallidus Wagner 1845; Octodon peruana Waterhouse 1848 .

Distribution: Chile, west slope of the Andes between Vallenar and Curico, to 1,200 m.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc). Common.

Discussion: Reviewed by Woods and Boraker (1975). Karyotype has 2n=58 and FN=112 (Reig et al., 1972).