Octodontidae
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Octodon |
The Octodontidae are a family of South American rodents. Thirteen species of octodontid are recognised, arranged in nine genera. The best known species is the Degu, Octodon degus.
Some authors have suggested that the octodontids should be reclassified in the order Lagomorpha, but this has not been supported by further analyses (e.g. Opazo, 2005). Older literature includes the tuco-tucos in the family, as the subfamily Ctenomyinae, but these animals are normally now treated as a separate family, the Ctenomyidae. Two of the genera now included in this family, Salinoctomys and Pipanacoctomys, have only recently been described. There is some evidence that evolution within the family may have resulted from polyploidy. The red viscacha rat, Tympanoctomys barrerae, is tetraploid, with 102 chromosomes, and the recently described golden viscacha rat Pipanacoctomys aureus has 92.
Members of the genus Aconaemys are referred to as rock rats, and members of genus Octodon are all called degus, though the name Degu on its own implies O. degu. The single member of Spalacopus, S. cyanus, is called the Coruro. Members of the other genera are called viscacha rats: note, however, that viscachas are not octodontids - they are members of the chinchilla family.
Most octodontids are nocturnal, social, burrowing animals, though the Degu is largely diurnal.
[edit] List of species
Genus Aconaemys Ameghino, 1891 (Andean Rock Rats).
- Species A. fuscus (Waterhouse, 1842) (Chilean Rock Rat). Andes of Chile and Argentina.
- Species A. porteri Thomas, 1917. Andes of Chile and Argentina.
- Species A. sagei (Pearson, 1984) (Sage's Rock Rat). Andes of Chile and Argentina.
Genus Octodon Bennett, 1832 (Degus).
- Species O. bridgesi Waterhouse, 1844 (Bridges' Degu). Andes of Chile and Argentina.
- Species O. degus (Molina, 1782) (Degu). Western Chile.
- Species O. lunatus Osgood, 1943 (Moon-toothed Degu). Western Chile.
- Species O. pacificus Hutterer, 1994 (Isla Mocha Degu). Isla Mocha, off western Chile.
Genus Octodontomys Palmer, 1903.
- Species O. gliroides (Gervais & D'Orbigny, 1844). Andes of northwestern Argentina, extreme northeastern Chile and western Bolivia.
Genus Octomys Thomas, 1920.
- Species O. mimax Thomas, 1920 (Mountain Viscacha-Rat). Andes of Argentina.
Genus Pipanacoctomys Mares et al., 2000.
- Species P. aureus Mares et al., 2000 (Golden Viscacha-Rat). Catamarca Prov., Argentina.
Genus Salinoctomys Mares et al., 2000.
- Species S. loschalchalerosorum Mares et al., 2000 (Los Chalchaleros' Viscacha-Rat). La Rioja Prov., Argentina.
Genus Spalacopus Wagler, 1832.
- Species S. cyanus (Molina, 1782) (Coruro). Western Chile.
Genus Tympanoctomys Yepes, 1942.
- Species T. barrerae (Lawrence, 1941) (Plains Viscacha-Rat or Red Viscacha-Rat). Scattered localities in western Argentina.
[edit] References
- Gallardo, M. H. et al. (2004). Whole-genome duplications in South American desert rodents (Octodontidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 82, 443-451.
- Opazo, J. C. (2005). A molecular timescale for caviomorph rodents (Mammalia, Hystricognathi). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 37, 932-937.
