3.

Shiny Guinea Pig

Cavia fulgida

French: Cobaye luisant / German: Glanzmeerschweinchen / Spanish: Cobaya brillante

Taxonomy. Cavia fulgida Wagler, 1831,

“Amazonia.”

A. Cabrera in 1961 noted that the type locality was likely an error because C. fulgida does not occur in the Amazon Basin.

Monotypic.

Distribution. SE Brazil, from Minas Gerais to Santa Catarina states.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 220-270 mm, hindfoot 35-45 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Color of the Shiny Guinea Pig is similar to the Brazilian Guinea Pig (C. aperea), but dorsum is richer reddish brown with a buffy venter. There is also a small dark band on the throat.

Habitat. Flooded marshland in central Brazil, and some indication that the Shiny Guinea Pig prefers semi-mountainous areas along the coast; otherwise little is known aboutits habitat preferences.

Food and Feeding. There is no information available for this species.

Breeding. There is no information available for this species.

Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Shiny Guinea Pig has a wide distribution and occurs in protected areas.

Bibliography. Cabrera (1961), Canevari & Vaccaro (2007), Dunnum (2015), Dunnum & Salazar-Bravo (2010a), Eisenberg & Redford (1999), de Oliveira & Bonvicino (2006), Woods & Kilpatrick (2005).