Dasyprocta prymnolopha, Wagler, 1831

Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Dasyproctidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 440-461 : 459

9.

Black-rumped Agouti

Dasyprocta prymnolopha

French: Agouti a croupe noire / German: SchwarzsteiRaguti / Spanish: Aguti de dorso negro

Taxonomy. Dasyprocta prymnolopha Wagler, 1831 ,

“Habitat in Guyana.” Corrected by E. A. Goeldi and G. Hagmann in 1903 to “foz do Amazonas, Para, Brazil.”

The inclusion of nigriclunis within this species may signal a regional color variant in the south-western part of the distribution. Monotypic.

Distribution. NE Brazil, from E Para State S of the Amazon River along the coast to EC Bahia State, and inland S into E Tocantins and N Minas Gerais states.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 450-525 mm, tail 18-30 mm, ear 36-43 mm, hindfoot 95-115 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Black-rumped Agouti is small; it is grizzled yellow-orange, with black foreparts that become red-orange from mid-back over outer thighs. Top of rump is covered by contrasting wedge of long, completely black hairs. Crown is blackish, and neck has crest of longer, black hairs. The Black-rumped Agouti is similar in overall shape to the Common Red-rumped Agouti ( D. leporina ).

Habitat. Deciduous forest and semiarid scrub, including cerrado and caatinga, and probably coastal rainforest habitats from sea level to elevations of ¢.900m. Blackrumped Agoutis are found in a wide diversity of phytogeographical assemblages in eastern Brazil, from Floresta Ombrofila Densa (tropical moist forest) to Savana (savanna) and Savana Estépica (caatinga). Itis the only agouti of the Caatinga ecoregion.

Food and Feeding. The Black-rumped Agouti is a seed disperser and plays a central role in dispersal and survival of rainforest trees. For certain trees,it is more a predator than disperser, particularly for Hortia brasiliana ( Rutaceae ).

Breeding. Captive Black-rumped Agoutis have a 30day estrous period; gestation averages 104 days. Presence of males stimulates onset of puberty in females.

Activity patterns. The Black-rumped Agouti is diurnal and terrestrial.

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 Blackrumped Agoutiis a popular game species and hunted for food; it declines in areas with high hunting pressure.

Bibliography. Eisenberg & Redford (1999), Emmons (1997a), Goeldi & Hagmann (1903), Guimaraes et al. (2009), lack-Ximenes (1999), Lopes & Ferrari (2000), Melo & Tabarelli (2003), Patton & Emmons (2015a), Sousa et al. (2012).

Figures

On following pages: 4. Roatan Island Agouti (Dasyprocta ruatanica); 5. Black Agouti (Dasyprocta fuliginosa); 6. Common Red-rumped Agouti (Dasyprocta leporina); 7. Guamara Agouti (Dasyprocta guamara); 8. Orange Agouti (Dasyprocta croconota); 9. Black-rumped Agouti (Dasyprocta prymnolopha); 10. lack’s Red-rumped Agouti (Dasyprocta iacki); 11. Brown Agouti (Dasyprocta variegata); 12. Kalinowski's Agouti (Dasyprocta kalinowskii); 13. Azara's Agouti (Dasyprocta azarae); 14. Red Acouchy (Myoprocta acouchy); 15. Green Acouchy (Myoprocta pratt).

Distribution. NE Brazil, from E Para State S of the Amazon River along the coast to EC Bahia State, and inland S into E Tocantins and N Minas Gerais states.