Proechimys canicollis (J. A. Allen, 1899)

Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Echimyidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 552-604 : 570

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6623649

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6624653

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03C5A071-FFFF-FFCB-FFD7-59A7592DF3EE

treatment provided by

Carolina

scientific name

Proechimys canicollis
status

 

32. View Plate 35: Echimyidae

Colombian Spiny-rat

Proechimys canicollis View in CoL

French: Rat-épineux de Colombie / German: Kolumbien-Kurzstachelratte / Spanish: Rata espinosa de Colombia

Taxonomy. Echimys canicollis J. A. Allen, 1899 ,

“Bonda, Santa Marta District.” Restricted by R. A. Paynter, Jr. in 1997 to “Rio Manzanares, where joined Quebrada Matogiro, 9 miles East of Santa Marta,” Magdalena, Colombia.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. NE Colombia and NW Venezuela, from the lower Rio Madgalena Valley E to the W margin of Maracaibo Lake. View Figure

Descriptive notes. Head-body 225 mm, tail 168 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Colombian Spiny-rat is moderate-sized, with proportionately shorttail (75% of head-body length). Pelage is only sparsely intermixed with weakly developed spines, giving body distinctly soft appearance. Aristiforms are long (22-25 mm) and quite narrow (0-02-0-03 mm), and they terminate in long whip-like tips. Dorsal color is pale yellowish brown or pale golden brown, sprinkled with black tipped spines on back and paler and grayer spines on sides. Top of head and nape are grayish, varied with black; sides of head and neck are clear gray, extending onto sides of throat but becoming paler on cheeks. Ventrum is white along midline from throat to inguinal region, but gray lateral bands encroach mid-ventrally from sides, and chin and jowls are gray, completely so in some individuals. Insides of limbs are white and may be continuous across ankle to meet whitish gray upper surfaces of hindfeet. Ears are broad but short, brown in color, and appear naked. Tail of the Colombian Spiny-ratis indistinctly bicolored, blackish above and dull flesh colored below; it is moderately haired, with hairs partially concealing narrow scale annuli that are 13-16 annuli/cm. Skull of Colombian Spiny-rat is moderate in size and, except for distinctly short and broad rostrum, conforms to general shape of other species of Proechimys . Temporal ridges are absent or only weakly extend from supraorbital ledge onto anterior parietals. Incisive foramina are broad and oval, with weakly developed postero-lateral flanges and thus anterior palate that exhibits only faint grooves; premaxillary part of septum is broad and long and occupies at least one-half of opening; maxillary part is moderately to weakly developed, always in contact with premaxilla, and sometimes with keel that extends limitedly onto anterior palate; vomer part of septum is usually hidden from view. Floor of infraorbital foramen is smooth, with only occasionally barely perceptible groove. Mesopterygoid fossa is relatively deep, extends to anterior one-half of M? and terminates in acute angle averaging 54°. Post-orbital process of zygoma is moderately well developed and may be comprised completely, or mostly, by either squamosal orjugal in about equal frequency. Cheekteeth are simplest of any species of Proechimys , with very uniform counterfold pattern of 3-2-2-2 for upper series and 2-2-2-2 for lower series. The Colombian Spiny-rat is the only species of Proechimys with only two folds on dP,. Baculum is relatively short (length 7-7-8-1 mm) and stout (proximal width 2:6-2-8 mm; distal width 2:6-2-8 mm) and has rounded base, weakly concave sides, and rather flat distal tip, with only weakly developed apical wings. It is similar in general size and characteristics to those of members of the goeldir-species group. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 24 and FN = 44.

Habitat. Dry tropical evergreen and deciduous forests and human landscapes, such as croplands and orchards, in Caribbean lowlands and adjacent foothills of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and Sierra de Perija from sea level to elevations of ¢.1700 m. The Colombian Spiny-rat is terrestrial.

Food and Feeding. Diet of the Colombian Spiny-rat was reported to include fruit, fungi, and seeds.

Breeding. There is no information available for this species.

Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Colombian Spiny-rat is presumably nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Colombian Spiny-rat is probably solitary.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Colombian Spiny-rat is common overits limited distribution, tolerant to habitat disturbance, and present in several protected parks; it is unlikely to be declining. Additional studies on distribution, habitat, abundance, ecology, and conservation threats to Colombian Spiny-rat are needed.

Bibliography. Aguilera & Corti (1994), Aguilera, Reig & Pérez-Zapata (1995), Aguilera, Sanginés & Pérez-Zapata (1998), Allen (1899a, 1899b, 1904), Benado et al. (1979), Corti et al. (2001), Eisenberg (1989), Emmons (1990, 1997a), Garagna et al. (1997), Patton (1987), Patton & Gardner (1972), Patton & Leite (2015), Patton & Reig (1989), Paynter (1997), Reig et al. (1980), Woods & Kilpatrick (2005).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Rodentia

SubOrder

Hystricomorpha

InfraOrder

Hystricognathi

Family

Echimyidae

Genus

Proechimys

Loc

Proechimys canicollis

Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier 2016
2016
Loc

Echimys canicollis

J. A. Allen 1899
1899
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