Proechimys guyannensis (E. Geoffroy 1803)

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Echimyidae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 1575-1592 : 1586

Proechimys guyannensis (E. Geoffroy 1803)

[Proechimys] guyannensis (E. Geoffroy 1803) , Cat. Mamm. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat.: 194.

Type Locality: French Guiana, Cayenne.

Vernacular Names: Guyenne Spiny-rat.

Subspecies: :

Subspecies Proechimys guyannensis subsp. guyannensis E. Geoffroy 1803

Subspecies Proechimys guyannensis subsp. arabupu Moojen 1948

Subspecies Proechimys guyannensis subsp. arescens Osgood 1944

Subspecies Proechimys guyannensis subsp. cherriei Thomas 1899

Subspecies Proechimys guyannensis subsp. riparum Moojen 1948

Subspecies Proechimys guyannensis subsp. vacillator Thomas 1903

Distribution: SC Venezuela, the Guianas, southward to C Brazil.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc) as P. warreni .

Discussion: Hershkovitz (1948 a) resurrected guyannensis E. Geoffroy, 1803 for this species as this name antedates cayennensis . Patton (1987) included cherriei, roberti , vacillator, oris , warreni , boimensis , arescens , riparum, and arabupu, but suggested that taxa from south of the Amazon were likely a different species from those to the north. Weksler et al. (2001) confirmed this opinion on morphological, karyotypic, and molecular grounds, and showed that P. roberti was the best name to apply to that species south of the Amazon. Husson’s (1978) recognition of warreni as a species separate from guyannensis was based on his mistaken application of the latter name to the species P. cuvieri (see Voss et al., 2001). However, it remains likely that more than a single species is included in the geographically restricted view of guyannensis presented here. Karyotype has 2n=40 and FN=54 ( Reig et al., 1979).