Aegialomys galapagoensis

Aegialomys galapagoensis, also known as the Galápagos rice rat[1] or Galápagos oryzomys,[2] is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae from the Galápagos Islands.

Aegialomys galapagoensis
The extinct A. galapagoensis galapagoensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Sigmodontinae
Genus: Aegialomys
Species:
A. galapagoensis
Binomial name
Aegialomys galapagoensis
(Waterhouse, 1839)
Synonyms

Oryzomys bauri
Oryzomys galapagoensis

It belongs to the genus Aegialomys in tribe Oryzomyini, but was previously placed in Oryzomys as Oryzomys galapagoensis. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.[1] Like many of the animals of the Galápagos, it is tame and unafraid of humans. Scientists working on Santa Fé Island and Fernandina Island have reported that it is necessary to keep tents open to prevent these rice rats from chewing in during the night.[3] The subspecies A. g. bauri from Santa Fé Island is sometimes considered to represent a full species. A. g. galapagoensis was formerly found on San Cristóbal Island, where Charles Darwin captured several live specimens on the second voyage of HMS Beagle in 1855. However, it is believed that it became extinct only decades after Darwin's visit, and the next specimens collected were subfossil remains found in lava tubes by David Steadman and colleagues in 1984.[4] Its closest relative is Aegialomys xanthaeolus, the only other species in the genus, which is found in coastal Ecuador and Peru.[5]

References
  1. Tirira et al., 2008
  2. Musser and Carleton, 2005
  3. Steadman et al., 1988, p. 118
  4. Steadman et al., 1988, pp. 63-65, 118
  5. Weksler et al., 2006

Literature cited
  • Musser, G.G. and Carleton, M.D. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. Pp. 894–1531 in Wilson, D.E. and Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference. 3rd ed. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols., 2142 pp. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0
  • Tirira, D., Boada, C. and Weksler, M. 2008. Aegialomys galapagoensis. In IUCN. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on December 3, 2009.
  • Steadman, David W., Zousmer, Steven, Steadman, Lee M. 1988. Galápagos: Discovery on Darwin's Islands Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press ISBN 0-87474-882-8
  • Weksler, M.; Percequillo, A. R.; Voss, R. S. (2006-10-19). "Ten new genera of oryzomyine rodents (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae)". American Museum Novitates. American Museum of Natural History. 3537: 1–29. doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2006)3537[1:TNGOOR]2.0.CO;2. hdl:2246/5815.
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