Abrocoma cinerea Thomas 1919

• Main Authors: Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, Russell A. Mittermeier
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Lynx Edicions 2016
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Chordata; Mammalia; Rodentia; Abrocomidae; Abrocoma; Abrocoma cinerea; Arctic; Argentina; Rata; Larrea
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6581970; http://treatment.plazi.org/id/123187A5FFFDFFA4FA13FEC7F77E3874

5. Ashy Chinchilla Rat Abrocoma cinerea French: Abrocome cendré / German: Graue Chinchillaratte / Spanish: Rata chinchilla cinérea Taxonomy. Abrocoma cinerea Thomas, 1919, “Cerro Casabindo, 4800 m,” Jujuy, Argentina. Abrocoma cinerea is one of six allopatric species in the “ A. cinerea complex” that were formerly classified as subspecies. Older literature does not always distinguish among them, and early observations of Ashy Chinchilla Rats may refer to taxa now recognized as other species. These can be distinguished by locality. Monotypic. Distribution. S Peru (Arequipa, Puno, Tacna), S through SW Bolivia (La Paz, Oruro, Potosi, Tarija), to NW Argentina (Jujuy, Salta, Tucuman, Catamarca) and N Chile (Arica y Parinacota, Tarapaca, Antofagasta). Descriptive notes. Head-body 157-196 mm, tail 50-96 mm, ear 22-30 mm, hindfoot 23-30 mm; weight 90-105 g. Dorsal fur of the Ashy Chinchilla Rat is tipped in pale gray above, imparting an overall pale gray appearance; venter is whitish with gray hair bases. Dorsal fur is dense and long (¢.33 mm) and has 25-80% greater insulation index than that of other high-elevation or arctic mammals. Tail of the Ashy Chinchilla Ratis the shortest in the genus, and it is bicolored, pale gray above and whitish below. All feet are white above. There are two pairs of mammae: one axillary and the otherlaterally on the abdomen. Greatest length of skull is 41-47 mm. Habitat. Rocky habitats with Festuca spp. (Poaceae); shrubs (e.g. creosote bush, Larrea spp-, Zygophyllaceae); tola (Parastrephia lepidophylla), Lepidophyllum spp., and Senecio spp. (all Asteraceae); and cushion plants in its southern distribution (Chile). Ashy Chinchilla Rats are found only in the Puna biome of the high Andesat elevations of 3700-5000 m. Food and Feeding. The Ashy Chinchilla Ratis a folivore. It ate leaves of Senecio, tola, and Baccharis microphylla (Asteraceae) at a site in Antofagasta, and of B. boliviensis (73-4%), Lupinus ananeanus, Fabaceae (15-4%), and Atriplex sp., Amaranthaceae (0-5%) at another locality. ...