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Taxonomy of Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina: the occurrence of the “mendocinus” lineage

  • Mauro N. Tammone ORCID logo EMAIL logo and Ulyses F.J. Pardiñas ORCID logo
Published/Copyright: April 27, 2021
Mammalia
From the journal Mammalia Volume 85 Issue 5

Abstract

Subterranean rodents Ctenomys are iconic representatives of the mammalian fauna from southern South America. Based on molecular data, eight lineages have been identified within the genus, although species-level identifications and relationships are still debated. Until now, the “magellanicus” clade has been the only lineage mentioned from arid, extra-Andean portions of Patagonia. Here, we report the presence of a Ctenomys population from northern Patagonia that is unambiguously associated with the Central Argentinean “mendocinus” lineage. Most of the 160,000 km2 comprising the northern portion of Patagonia – an area consisting primarily of Monte Desert shrub-land – are inhabited by Ctenomys populations of unknown taxonomy.

Keywords: Ctenomys mendocinus ; cytochrome-b; Monte Desert; Neuquén Province; phylogeny
Corresponding author: Mauro N. Tammone, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (CONICET-UNComahue), Quintral 1250, 8400 Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina; and Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi (CENAC-CONICET), Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina, E-mail:

Funding source: Fondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica

Award Identifier / Grant number: PICT 2008-0547PICT 2014-1039PICT 2018-1427

Acknowledgments

Fieldwork at Auca Mahuida was conducted with the invaluable assistance of A. Bernardis, E. Cuéllar-Soto and P. Teta, as well as logistic support and guidance from park rangers S. Goitia and F. Quiles. Fieldwork at Añelo was conducted with the kind help of O. Tammone. E. Lacey generously reviewed the English. We are very grateful to the above mentioned people.

  1. Author contributions: MNT and UFJP contributed the same to the conceptualization, sampling and design of the study and field data acquisition; MNT conducted laboratory analyses and made the figures; MNT and UFJP wrote the manuscript.

  2. Research funding: Financial support was provided by Grants PICT 2008-0547, PICT 2014-1039 and PICT 2018-1427 (Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica). We are very grateful to the above mentioned institutions.

  3. Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.

  4. Research ethics: All procedures involving live animals were consistent with the guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists (Sikes et al. 2016) and were conducted under permits issued by the wildlife authorities (Dirección de Fauna, Province of Neuquén, Disp. 2010 N°105-198; Res. N°884/19).

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Supplementary Material

The online version of this article offers supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2021-0032).

Received: 2021-02-26
Accepted: 2021-03-25
Published Online: 2021-04-27
Published in Print: 2021-09-27

© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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https://doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2021-0032
Keywords for this article
Ctenomys mendocinus; cytochrome-b; Monte Desert; Neuquén Province; phylogeny

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Conservation
  3. Ansorge’s cusimanse in Angola: 100 years apart, new records contribute to the species known range
  4. Abundance of the exploited red-rumped agouti (Dasyprocta leporina Rodentia: Dasyproctidae) on the island of Trinidad
  5. Biogeography
  6. The roles of possible geographic barriers and geological events on the phylogeographic structure of the Eastern broad toothed field mouse (Apodemus mystacinus)
  7. First record of Blanford’s Fox Vulpes cana (Blanford, 1877) from Iraq
  8. New records and southern range extension of the Annamite striped rabbit Nesolagus timminsi in Vietnam
  9. Ecology
  10. A pilot study of the use of dry dog food as an alternative attractant in mesocarnivore studies
  11. Seasonal diet composition of Himalayan goral (Naemorhedus goral) in Kajinag National Park, Jammu and Kashmir, India
  12. Seasonal and daily activity patterns of mammals in the colony of great cormorants
  13. First North African record of a melanistic common genet (Genetta genetta Linnaeus, 1758)
  14. Albinism in Brazilian common opossums (Didelphis aurita)
  15. Evolutionary biology
  16. Brain size evolution in small mammals: test of the expensive tissue hypothesis
  17. Taxonomy/phylogeny
  18. DNA barcoding of bats (Chiroptera) from the Colombian northern region
  19. Morphology and genetics concur that Anoura carishina is a synonym of Anoura latidens (Chiroptera, Glossophaginae)
  20. Taxonomy of Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina: the occurrence of the “mendocinus” lineage
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