Dense sampling provides a reevaluation of the southern geographic distribution of the cavies Galea and Microcavia (Rodentia)

The southern distribution of the small cavies Galea leucoblephara and Microcavia australis is reviewed. It has been enriched through the addition of 36 new locality records for G. leucoblephara and 176 for M. australis. Both caviomorph rodents are widespread in Patagonia – the former occurs in the n...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Udrizar Sauthier, Daniel Edgardo, Formoso, Anahí Elizabeth, Teta, Pablo Vicente, de Tommaso, Daniela Cecilia, Bernardis, Adela María, Tammone, Mauro Nicolás, Pardiñas, Ulises Francisco J.
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2015
Country:Argentina
Institution:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repository:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/21112
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/21112
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Galea Leucoblephara
Microcavia Australis
New Distribution Records
Patagonia
Caviidae
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Description
Summary:The southern distribution of the small cavies Galea leucoblephara and Microcavia australis is reviewed. It has been enriched through the addition of 36 new locality records for G. leucoblephara and 176 for M. australis. Both caviomorph rodents are widespread in Patagonia – the former occurs in the northern portion of the territory, whereas the latter is recorded up to the Strait of Magellan. The reference of Patagonian Galea populations to leucoblephara is still subject to confirmation. Therefore, the status of negrensis must be addressed in future studies. For southern Microcavia australis populations, a rich subspecifical scenario is proposed, including the names australis, kingii, and nigriana. The alpha taxonomy of this cavy needs a fresh approach that is based on a larger sample set coupled with the analysis of molecular markers.