New data on the endemic cricetid rodent Holochilus lagigliai from central-western Argentina: fossil record and potential distribution

FERNANDO J. FERNÁNDEZ; JULIO TORRES; MAURO TAMMONE; JOSÉ MANUEL LÓPEZ; ULYSES PARDIÑAS

MAMMALIA

WALTER DE GRUYTER & CO

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2017 vol. 81 p. 621 - 626

0025-1461

The recently described cricetid Holochilus lagigliai is a poorly known amphibious rat up today restricted to its type locality in Mendoza province, Argentina. Here we provide and discuss several new late Holocene records enlarging its past distribution to cover the north portion of the province indicating that this rodent was widespread in a recent past. We also performed a potential distribution analysis pointing to plausible areas of occurrence in neighboring provinces. H. lagigliai seems to be a mammal negatively affected by the human growing pressure on wetlands in a context of drylands that characterizes western Argentina.