Galea musteloides, Meyen, 1833
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6585510 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6585572 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03FF87C7-FFB5-5344-20BC-F33F5C61BCC3 |
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treatment provided by |
Carolina |
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scientific name |
Galea musteloides |
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Highland Yellow-toothed Cavy
French: Cobaye belette / German: \Wieselmeerschweinchen / Spanish: Cuy de montana
Other common names: Common Yellow-toothed Cavy
Taxonomy. Galea musteloides Meyen, 1833 View in CoL ,
“auf dem Passe von Tacna nach dem Alpensee von Titicaca [= on the pass of Tacna to the alpine lake of Titicaca],” Peru .
Much published data on G. musteloides is actually from G. leucoblephara based on a revision of Galea by J. L. Dunnum and J. Salazar-Bravo in 2010. The “Muenster Yellow-toothed Cavy,” C. monasteriensis, is considered here a synonym of G. musteloides boliviensis. Three subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
G.m.musteloidesMeyen,1833—AndeanAltiplano,inSEPeru,WBolivia,andNChile.
G. m. boliviensis Waterhouse, 1848 — E Bolivian Altiplano. View Figure
Descriptive notes. There are no specific data available, but external measurements are likely similar to the Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy (G. leucoblephara). Highland Yellowtoothed Cavies are characterized by brownish fur, with yellowish to olive dorsal tinge. Venteris white; dorsal and ventral colors are distinctly demarcated. Ears have covers of yellowish brown hairs—a characteristic that varies among subspecies.
Habitat. High-elevation grasslands in the central Andes. Highland Yellow-Toothed Cavies either build burrows or occupy abandoned burrows of tuco-tucos ( Ctenomys , Ctenomyidae ).
Food and Feeding. There is no information available forthis species.
Breeding. Gestation is ¢.55 days (50-58). Litter sizes are 1-7 young; neonates weigh c.40 g at birth.
Activity patterns. The Highland Yellow-toothed Cavy is diurnal and active year-round.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Much ofthe literature on the Highland Yellow-Toothed Cavy reports it to be promiscuous, but these studies were actually conducted on the Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy. Social behavior of the Highland Yellow-toothed Cavy was studied as the “Muenster Yellow-toothed Cavy,” now a synonym of the subspecies boliviensis. Studies on a captive colony of the Highland Yellow-toothed Cavy suggest that it is monogamous. Unfamiliar individuals are extremely aggressive toward each other, but established pairs showed no aggression, even when separated and reunited. This is a relatively rare example of monogamy in mammals, as also occurs in the Patagonian Mara ( Dolichotis patagonum ).
Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List (as G. monasteriensis, now one of three subspecies, boliviensis, of the Highland Yellow-Toothed Cavy). The current IUCN assessment applies more correctly to the broadly distributed Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy (G. leucoblephara). The overall conservation status of the Highland Yellow-toothed Cavy needs to be reassessed.
Bibliography. Adrian & Sachser (2011), Canevari & Vaccaro (2007), Dunnum (2015), Dunnum & Salazar-Bravo (2010b), Redford & Eisenberg (1992), Woods & Kilpatrick (2005).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
