New distribution reports of Rhagomys rufescens (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) Thomas, 1886

During a faunal survey in the foothills of the Ecuadoran Andes southwest of the Cordillera del Cóndor, a mouse of uncertain affinities was taken in a fishing net. Various external characters suggested that it was a member of the genus Rhagomys, previously unrecorded in Ecuador. Comparisons with the external, cranial, and dental morphology both of Rhagomys rufescens and R. longilingua identified a number of unique characters, including its long, narrow rostrum and incisive foramina and the reduced anterolingual conule on its M1 procingulum. We describe the mouse as a new species of Rhagomys; both its morphology and molecular analyses suggest that it is sister to R. longilingua. This record of Rhagomys in southern Ecuador extends the known distribution of the genus 700 km northward and adds yet another genus and species to Ecuador’s extensive list of rodent species.

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Morphological disparity in a hyperdiverse mammal clade: a new morphotype and tribe of Neotropical cricetids

Pardiñas

Tinoco

Barbière³

et al. 2022

Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society

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Rhagomys is a genus of South American cricetids composed of three living species. They occur in eastern Andean and lowland tropical forests. Since description of this genus more than a century ago, it was treated as an enigmatic form within Sigmodontinae, varyingly thought to be allied to different suprageneric groups, with several scholars highlighting their presumptive autapomorphies. However, this morphologically based controversy was resolved with the advent of molecular data, indicating a weak affiliation to Thomasomyini. Here we resume the anatomical scrutiny of Rhagomys based on new evidence. New data, including CT-scan craniodental exploration and an ICAMER molar analysis, reinforce the uniqueness of this cricetid in the subfamily. In addition, we have enlarged and reworked the genetic data, composed of mitochondrial and nuclear markers, supporting not only the monophyly of Rhagomys, but also its resolution as a distinct branch of the sigmodontine radiation. To accommodate these results, we describe a new tribe for Rhagomys. The recognized clade is the most phenotypically differentiated of the Oryzomyalia and inaugurates a new arboreal morphotype. We hypothesize that Rhagomys has a set of anatomical features used to exploit understory resources by primarily insectivorous mice.

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New distribution reports of Rhagomys rufescens (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) Thomas, 1886

Cited by 4 publications

References 12 publications

The rare rodent genus Rhagomys (Rodentia, Sigmodontinae): biogeographical patterns and description of a new species

The rare rodent genus Rhagomys (Rodentia, Sigmodontinae): biogeographical patterns and description of a new species

A new species of Rhagomys (Rodentia, Sigmodontinae) from southeastern Ecuador

Morphological disparity in a hyperdiverse mammal clade: a new morphotype and tribe of Neotropical cricetids

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