A review of the named forms of Phyllomys (Rodentia, Echimyidae), with the description of a new species from coastal Brazil

Related Titles

Series: American Museum novitates, no. 3380

By

Emmons, Louise
Leite, Yuri L. R.
Kock, Dieter
Costa, Leonora Pires

Type

Book

Material

Published material

Publication info

New York, NY American Museum of Natural History c2002

Notes

Abstract also in Portuguese.

Caption title.

"August 16, 2002."

"The genus Phyllomys comprises a radiation of arboreal rats geographically restricted to the forested habitats of eastern Brazil, from Ceará to Rio Grande do Sul"--Introduction.

[English abstract]. To clarify the taxonomy and serve as a foundation for future systematic studies, we searched for the type material associated with all named forms of Brazilian Atlantic tree rats of the genus Phyllomys. For the following ten taxa we found either the originally designated holotypes, syntype series, or contemporary specimens likely to have been seen by the authors: P. blainvilii, P. brasiliensis, P. fossilis, P. nigrispinus, P. unicolor, P. dasythrix, P. lamarum, P. medius, P. thomasi, and P. kerri. For five species the holotype was unambiguously identified. For five other named forms no holotype was originally designated but we found several candidate specimens and for all of these we designate lectotypes. We identify the type localities for all named Phyllomys species and amend those which are ambiguous. We review the taxonomy, diagnosing and redescribing all the named forms of the genus. After examining the type material, we concluded that the rusty-sided tree rat from coastal Brazil, usually identified in the literature as P. brasiliensis, belongs to an unnamed species. We describe and name it here.

Subjects

arboreal spiny rats , Atlantic Coast , Brazil , Classification , Mammals , Phyllomys pattoni , Rodents

Call Number

QL1 .A436 no.3380 2002

Language

English

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1206/0003-0082(2002)380<0001:AROTNF>2.0.CO;2
OCLC: 50499256