Galea leucoblephara (Burmeister, 1861)

Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Caviidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 406-438 : 436

14.

Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy

Galea leucoblephara

French: Cobaye a lunettes / German: Tiefland-Wieselmeerschweinchen / Spanish: Cuy de dientes amarillos de tierras bajas

Taxonomy. Anoema leucoblephara Burmeister, 1861 ,

“Mendoza wie bei Tucuman [=Mendoza Province as in Tucuman Province,” Argentina. Restricted by |. Yepes in 1936 to “Mendoza, Argentina.”

This species now encompasses the entire lower elevation and higher latitude distribution of what was part of the former G. musteloides . Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

G.l.leucoblepharaBurmeister,1861—WArgentina,fromSCatamarcaProvinceSthroughLaRioja,SanJuan,Cordoba,SanLuis,andMendozaprovinces.

G.l.demissaThomas,1921—DryChacowoodlandsofC&SBolivia,WParaguay,andNArgentina(StoSantiagodelEsteroandCatamarcaprovinces).

G. l. littoralis Thomas, 1901 — S Argentina, from Mendoza and La Pampa provinces E to coastal Buenos Aires and S to Chubut provinces.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 198-235 mm, ear 18 mm, hindfoot 39 mm; weight 180-280 g. Greatest length of skull is 47 mm. Color of the Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy is olive to reddish on back and yellowish on flanks; venter is yellowish white. Eye rings are distinct and pure white.

Habitat. Arid to mesic grasslands.

Food and Feeding. The Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy is herbivorous, with a dependence on grasses.

Breeding. Gestation of c¢.53 days and average littersize of three young were reported for G. musteloides . Reproduction occurred year-round. Males reproduce at ¢.3 months and females slightly earlier at c.2 months. Females have two pairs of mammae, one inguinal and one abdominal.

Activity patterns. The Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy is diurnal and active year-round.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Male and female Lowland Yellowtoothed Cavies have linear hierarchies, but females are more socially tolerant, often huddling and allonursing. Home ranges of males are very large; female home ranges are only c.20% the size of male home ranges. Male home ranges therefore overlap many female home ranges. Males are very aggressive toward other males, including young males, but are less aggressive toward young females. Mating behavior is promiscuous, with 50-80% oflitters having multiple paternities. Males show no parentalcare.

Status and Conservation. The Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy is notclassified on The [UCN Red List because of recent revisions of Galea . Nevertheless, it will likely be classified as Least Concern because ofits relative wide distribution and presumably large population.

Bibliography. Adrian & Sachser (2011), Canevari & Vaccaro (2007), Dunnum (2015), Dunnum & SalazarBravo (2010b), Redford & Eisenberg (1992), Rood (1970, 1972), Woods & Kilpatrick (2005), Yepes (1936).

Figures

1. Brazilian Guinea Pig (Cavia aperea), 2. Montane Guinea Pig (Cavia tschudu), 3. Shiny Guinea Pig (Cavia fulgida), 4. Sacha Guinea Pig (Cavia patzelti), 5. Greater Guinea Pig (Cavia magna), 6. Santa Catarina’s Guinea Pig (Cavia intermedia), 7. Southern Mountain Cavy (Microcavia australis), 8. Northern Mountain Cavy (Mucrocavia miata), 9. Shipton’s Mountain Cavy (Microcavia shiptoni), 10. Spix’s Yellow-toothed Cavy (Galea spixu), 11. Eastern Yellow-toothed Cavy (Galea flavidens), 12. Highland Yellow-toothed Cavy (Galea musteloides), 13. Southern Highland Yellow-toothed Cavy (Galea comes), 14. Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy (Galea leucoblephara), 15. Greater Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), 16. Lesser Capybara (Hydrochoerus isthmius), 17. Rock Cavy (Kerodon rupestris), 18. Acrobatic Cavy (Kerodon acrobata), 19. Patagonian Mara (Dolichotis patagonum), 20. Chacoan Mara (Dolichotis salinicola)

Subspecies and Distribution. G.l.leucoblepharaBurmeister,1861—WArgentina,fromSCatamarcaProvinceSthroughLaRioja,SanJuan,Cordoba,SanLuis,andMendozaprovinces. G.l.demissaThomas,1921—DryChacowoodlandsofC&SBolivia,WParaguay,andNArgentina(StoSantiagodelEsteroandCatamarcaprovinces). G. l. littoralis Thomas, 1901 — S Argentina, from Mendoza and La Pampa provinces E to coastal Buenos Aires and S to Chubut provinces.