Aconaemys porter, Thomas, 1917
|
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6615351 |
|
DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6612404 |
|
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/E53F663E-FFE0-FFDC-FA2C-FE75F5DEF814 |
|
treatment provided by |
Carolina |
|
scientific name |
Aconaemys porter |
| status |
|
11. View On
Porter’s Rock Rat
French: Tunduco de Porter / German: PorterFelsenratte / Spanish: Tunduco de Porter
Taxonomy. Aconaemys porteri Thomas, 1917 View in CoL ,
“Osorno, S. Chile,” slopes of Volcan Osorno, Los Lagos Region.
O. P. Pearson in 1984 synonymized A. porteri with A. fuscus , but M. H. Gallardo and D. Reise in 1992 confirmed that the two were morphologically and chromosomally distinct species. Based on molecular data, A. porteri is clearly distinct from the other two species of Aconaemys and has a basal phylogenetic position to the sister pair of A. fuscus and A. sagei . Monotypic.
Distribution. Andes of Argentina and Chile, in Chile it occurs from Villarica to Puyehue volcanoes (Los Lagos Region) and in Argentina it extends from Lanin to Nahuel Huapi national parks (Neuquén Province). View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 148-192 mm, tail 68-85 mm, ear 20-22 mm, hindfoot 30-37 mm; weight 105-160 g. Ears are small. Forelegs have long claws. Pelage is dark brown dorsally and bright rufous on ventral parts. Main feature of dentition is long and wide incisors. Karyotype is 2n = 58, FN= 112.
Habitat. Mountain plains with gentle slopes, occurring in dense bamboo and southern beech forests ( Nothofagus dombeyi, Nothofagaceae ) at elevations of 900-2000 m.
Food and Feeding. Porter’s Rock Rat is herbivorous and feed on leaves, sprouts,little branches of bamboo, and pine nuts of araucarias.
Breeding. There is no specific information for this species, but an anecdotal report indicated that one female Porter’s Rock Rat had three embryos at the end of October.
Activity patterns. Porter’s Rock Rat is mainly nocturnal, but it can be active during the day. During winter,it is active under snow.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Porter’s Rock Ratis colonial and fossorial. It builds networks of interconnected superficial tunnels, with entrances 1 m from each other. It lives in small groups of up to seven individuals in communal burrow systems. In some burrows, thin bamboo stems and aggregations offeces are found. Porter’s Rock Rat makes a very strong group squeak.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. There is an absence of information about recent extent of occurrence, conservation threats, and ecological requirements. Porter’s Rock Rat is considered rare in the Los Lagos Region of Chile.
Bibliography. Chapman (2008), Gallardo & Reise (1992), Honeycutt et al. (2003), Ipinza et al. (1971), Iriarte (2008), Munoz-Pedreros (2000), Opazo (2005), Pearson (1983, 1984), Thomas (1917a), 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.
