Akodon (Akodon) spegazzinii Thomas 1897

Akodon (Akodon) spegazzinii Thomas 1897, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 6, 20: 216.

Type Locality: Argentina, Salta Prov., lower Río Cachí.

Vernacular Names: Spegazzini's Akodont.

Synonyms: Akodon (Akodon) alterus Thomas 1919; Akodon (Akodon) tucumanensis J. A. Allen 1901 .

Distribution: E Andean slopes, 400 to 1000 m, NW Argentina.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Subgenus Akodon, A. boliviensis species group (Myers et al., 1990). Formerly considered a subspecies of A. boliviensis (Cabrera, 1961); Myers et al. (1990) segregated spegazzinii as a species, retaining tucumanensis as a subspecies. Karyology and morphometrics reviewed, as A. boliviensis tucumanensis, by Barquez et al. (1980). Cabrera (1961) placed alterus in full synonymy with A. boliviensis tucumanensis; karyotypes of alterus and tucumanensis reported as identical (2n = 40, FN = 40) by Blaustein et al. (1992), who also discussed their weak allozymic and morphological divergence. Mares et al. (1997) listed alterus and tucumanensis as species principally based on their different ecological associations. Another complex of small akodonts in need of revision; also see remarks under A. aliquantulus .