Holochilus chacarius, Thomas, 1906
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https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6707142 |
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https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6728138 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F06D13-FF08-20C1-0D8D-117F0A9FF525 |
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Carolina |
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scientific name |
Holochilus chacarius |
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469. View Plate 23: Cricetidae
Chacoan Marsh Rat
Holochilus chacarius View in CoL
French: Oryzomys du Chaco / German: Chaco-Sumpfratte / Spanish: Rata de marisma del Chaco
Other common names: Chaco Marsh Rat
Taxonomy. Holochilus chacarius Thomas, 1906 View in CoL , “Chaco 1 league [= 5-6 km] N.W. of Concepcion [Concepcion], Paraguay.”
This species is treated here as monotypic, although several authors recognized two subspecies, H. c. chacarius widespread in the Parana-Paraguay fluvial system and H. c. balnearum associated to Yunga environments.
Distribution. S & E Bolivia, Paraguay, SW Brazil, and N Argentina . View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 140-201 mm, tail 148-183 mm, hindfoot 37-46 mm; weight 70-240 g (mean 165 g). See general characters of the genus under the Venezuelan Marsh Rat ( H. venezuelae ) account. Dorsum of the Chacoan Marsh Rat is reddish to cinnamon, sides are ocherous buffy, and venter is buffy. Throat, chest, and inguinal regions are white. Mystacial vibrissae are short and do not reach ear tips. Tail is unicolor and sparsely haired. Hindfeet have interdigital webbing. Skull is heavily built. Interorbital margins have moderately well-developed supraorbital crests. Incisors are opisthodont; molars are tetralophodont. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 48-56, FN = 57-60.
Habitat. Marshes, swamps, and grasslands in mostly non-forested regions, associated with Pantanal, Chaco, and Yungas biomes.
Food and Feeding. Diet of the Chacoan Marsh Rat consists basically of leaves and other items of plant origin. It can cause extensive damage to several types of crops, such as rice and sugarcane.
Breeding. Captive Chacoan Marsh Rats had average gestation of 27-8 days, and average number of embryos was 3-3/litter. Nest are built with grass up to 1-4 m aboveground and are 20-30 cm in diameter and 25-95 g in weight.
Activity patterns. Trapping data suggests that Chacoan Marsh Rats are nocturnal. They can swim, dive, and climb very well, characteric of an amphibiouslifestyle.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Chacoan Marsh Rats are frequently found in owl pellets and feces of small carnivores.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.
Bibliography. D’Elia, Hanson et al. (2015), Goncalves et al. (2015), Hershkovitz (1955), Massoia (1970, 1971c, 1976), Piantanida (1993), Voglino et al. (2004).
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.
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Holochilus chacarius
| Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr 2017 |
Holochilus chacarius
| Thomas 1906 |