Science and Technology Production
Article
Authorship
Brito, Jorge
;
García, Rubí
;
Castellanos, Francisco X.
;
Gavilanes, Gabriela
;
CURAY GUALA, JENNY JACQUELINE
;
Carrión-Olmedo, Julio C.
;
Reyes-Barriga, Daniela
;
Guayasamin, Juan M.
;
Salazar-Bravo, Jorge
;
Pinto, C. Miguel
Date
2024
Publishing House and Editing Place
Pensoft Publishers
Magazine
Vertebrate Zoology,
vol. 74
(pp. 709-734)
- ISSN 1864-5755
Pensoft Publishers
Pensoft Publishers
ISSN
1864-5755
Summary
Information provided by the agent in
SIGEVA
The Andean cloud forests of Ecuador are home to numerous unique mammals. Rodents of the tribe Thomasomyini are particularlyabundant in many Andean localities, with Thomasomys – the largest genus in the subfamily Sigmodontinae (51 species) – especiallyspecies-rich and diverse. Despite recent advances on the systematics of the genus, where seven species have been described in thelast five years, there is tantalizing evidence that its true diversity remains completely understood. Over ...
The Andean cloud forests of Ecuador are home to numerous unique mammals. Rodents of the tribe Thomasomyini are particularlyabundant in many Andean localities, with Thomasomys – the largest genus in the subfamily Sigmodontinae (51 species) – especiallyspecies-rich and diverse. Despite recent advances on the systematics of the genus, where seven species have been described in thelast five years, there is tantalizing evidence that its true diversity remains completely understood. Over the course of approximatelyten years of fieldwork in Ecuador, a significant number of Thomasomys specimens were collected from various localities in both,the eastern and western Andean ranges. Through an extensive genetic study of these specimens, augmented with what is available inpublic databases, we argue that there exist at least 20 undescribed species in the genus, with no less that twelve potential new speciesin Ecuador alone. In this paper, we describe two of these species belonging to the groupcinereus, one recently collected and the otherpreviously referred to asThomasomys sp. 1; further, we present an updated cytb gene tree of the genus. The gene tree includes at least56 valid and putative species and supports the monophyly of the genus, while at the same time suggest a paraphyletic “aureus” group.Our findings suggest that the genus likely exhibits additional hidden diversity in significant portions of Colombia, Peru, and Boliviawhich calls for the need for a comprehensive reassessment of the entire genus. The recognition of these two new species brings thetotal number of known Thomasomys to 53 species, 19 of which occur in Ecuador, including 17 that are endemic to this country.
Show more
Show less
Key Words
THOMASOMYS IGOR SP.NOV.ANDESTHOMASOMYS OTAVALO SP.NOV.THOMASOMYINI