A New Species of Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) from Patagonia Related to C. sociabilis

GONZÁLEZ CHÁBEZ, BALTAZAR; BROOK, FEDERICO; MARTIN, GABRIEL MARIO; TOMMASCO, IVANNA HAYDÉE

Journal of Mammalian Evolution

Springer

Año: 2021 vol. 29 p. 237 - 258

The genus Ctenomys includes a high number of taxa, with at least ten species from Patagonia and three recently describedspecies for northeastern Chubut Province (Argentina). Ctenomys sociabilis is a social species of the genus Ctenomys and iscurrently distributed in the surrounding area of Sierra Cuyin Manzano (Neuquén Province), with a recently extinct populationthat occurred in Laguna Nahuelquir (Cushamen, Chubut Province). Molecular analyses have placed C. sociabilis at the baseof Ctenomys clade, as the sister species to all other Ctenomys. Based on a morphological assessment (qualitative and quantitative)and DNA sequencing, we describe a new species of Ctenomys from Esquel, Chubut Province. Phylogenetic analysisshows the new species to be closely related to C. sociabilis, with evidence of solitary behavior. This new species is the firstreported to be closely related phylogenetically to Ctenomys sociabilis at the base of the Ctenomys phylogeny. We provideanatomical comparisons between the new species and other species of Ctenomys from Patagonia, especially C. sociabilis.