Aconaemys fuscus (Waterhouse, 1842)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6615351 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6632790 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/E53F663E-FFE0-FFDC-FA50-F7C6F675F244 |
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treatment provided by |
Carolina |
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scientific name |
Aconaemys fuscus |
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12. View On
Chilean Rock Rat
French: Tunduco du Chili / German: Stidamerikanische Felsenratte / Spanish: Tunduco de Chile
Other common names: Great Rock Rat
Taxonomy. Schizodon fuscus Waterhouse, 1842 ,
“from Chile.” Modified by G. R. Waterhouse in 1848 to the Valle de las Cuevas near the Volcano of Peteroa, Argentina.
G. R. Waterhouse in 1842 described A. fuscus based on two specimens collected by T. Bridges but never designated a type specimen, which was formally designed by O. Thomas in 1927. O. P. Pearson in 1984 summarized taxonomic history of A. fuscus . Monotypic.
Distribution. Andean areas of C Chile, between Curic6 (Maule Region) and Temuco (Araucania Region) and CW Argentina (Mendoza Province), between 33° S and 41°S. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 150-170 mm,tail 55-78 mm, ear 8-12 mm; weight 80-230 g. The Chilean Rock Ratis small-sized to medium-sized. Tail is relatively short (31% of its total length), without a terminal tuff, unlike other species of octodontids. Ears are small. Forelegs are strong, with long claws. Pelage is dark brown dorsally, and venteris lighter brownish yellow. Hands and feet are grayish. Karyotype is 2n = 56, FN = 108.
Habitat. Rocky outcrops in highland forests of Araucaria araucana ( Araucariaceae ) to above Andean tree and shrub lines and flat, sandy areas covered with xerophytic shrubs and grasses such as Poa lanuginosus ( Poaceae ), Acacia caven ( Fabaceae ), Ephedra (Ephedraceae) , Rosa , and Rubus (both Rosaceae ), at elevations of 1000-4000 m.
Food and Feeding. The Chilean Rock Rat is herbivorous and eats mainly grasses, seeds, bulbs, and roots. It also feeds on pine nuts and roots of A. aracucana and subterranean bulbs of Amarylidaceae and Alstromeriaceae. It can accumulate and store food in chambers in their burrows.
Breeding. Newborn young and pregnant female Chilean Rock Rats have been recorded in spring (October-November).
Activity patterns. The Chilean Rock Rat is mainly nocturnal, although daytime activity has also been reported. They only leave their burrows during the day, searching for food or to take short excursions. They have high frequency vocalizations.
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.
