Over the last years there has been new and valuable information in both wild chinchillas, however this is still insuffi cient for effective protection. In this paper we review some fundamental aspects of its natural history, synthesizing and delivering new information about their ecology, taxonomy and conservation status, based on the review of available literature, and fi eld data collection. In relation to their ecology we have been identifi ed new colonies of both species, for scientifi c research as well as environmental technical reports. For most of these colonies we identifi ed vegetation to which they are associated, predators and other sympatric rodent species. The taxonomy of these species is controversial. A proposal was submitted to ICZN in 2003, and the recommendations were to describe a neotype for genus and species, but the original specimens described by Bennett (1829), Lichtenstein (1830) and Waterhouse (1844) are in museums from Europe and should be considered as syntypes. Conservation status of both species is critically endangered because most colonies are threatened by mining exploitation. Therefore, it is essential to explore new regions to identify new colonies and compare them with modern methods such as molecular markers. Finally, with this information we argue the need to develop a conservation programs for both species; it should consider critical areas of their biology, such as ecology, genetics and reproduction. KEYWORDS:Chinchilla, conservation plans, critical endangered, distribution, endemism, new colonies. RESUMENEn los últimos años se ha generado nueva y valiosa información de las dos especies silvestres de chinchillas; sin embargo ésta sigue siendo insufi ciente para una protección efectiva. En este trabajo hacemos una revisión de algunos aspectos fundamentales de su historia natural, sintetizando y entregando nuevos antecedentes de su ecología, taxonomía y estado de conservación, en base a la revisión de la literatura disponible, y toma de datos en el campo. En relación a su ecología, hemos identifi cado nuevas colonias de ambas especies, tanto por investigación científi ca como por reportes técnicos ambientales. Para la mayoría de esas colonias se ha identifi cado la vegetación a la que están asociadas, depredadores y otras especies de roedores simpátridos. La taxonomía de ambas especies ha sido controversial. Una propuesta fue sometida a la ICZN en el 2003 y las recomendaciones fueron describir un neotipo para el género y ambas especies; sin embargo, los especímenes originales descritos por Bennett (1829), Lichtenstein (1830) y Waterhouse (1844) existen en museos de Europa y deben ser considerados como los respectivos sintipos. Finalmente, el estado de conservación de estas especies ha sido catalogado como críticamente en peligro tanto por instituciones nacionales como internacionales, esto debido a que la mayoría de las colonias son pequeñas, fragmentadas y aisladas, sin embargo, ahora la mayor amenaza es la relación geográfi ca de las nuevas colonias con áreas de e...
to investigate the origins and domestication of guinea pigs, or cuyes (Cavia porcellus), we re-analyzed 12S rrNa (759 bp) and cytochrome b gene (1140 bp) sequence data from relevant species and breeds. Seventeen pre-Columbian mummified cuyes from southern Peru and northern Chile sites are described and compared with both domesticated (living andean creole and European breeds) and wild species. all molecular analyses point to the western C. tschudii rather than to the eastern C. aperea as the ancestral wild species. Domesticated andean and European cuyes were different both in biochemical and morphological analysis ; both breeds exhibited a lower neurocranium than that of C. tschudii. Principal component analysis of skeletal measurements showed that most of the mummies anayzed were juveniles, but at least 2 appeared to be adults when compared with wild and andean cuyes. the degree of domestication in these mummies was evaluated under the criteria of the "domestication syndrome": their size, hair color and design polymorphisms, and lower skulls demonstrated that they were fully domesticated in southern Perú-northern Chile more than 500 years before the arrival of Spaniards to the americas; this was the first or major step in the process of cuy domestication. the second stage was the European one, under a different selection regime acting for another 500 years. the third stage is ongoing, with heavy selection for size and meat volume.
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