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We used five polymorphic microsatellite loci to examine patterns of genetic variation within and among colonies of coruros (Spalacopus cyanus) at three localities in central Chile. Detailed comparisons of genetic variation at two locations, Los Maitenes in the northern portion of the species' range and El Alamo in the south, displayed very different patterns of variation. Overall variation (alleles per locus and heterozygosity) within and among colonies at Los Maitenes was several times higher than observed at El Alamo, with the latter showing patterns of variation more consistent with a social species of subterranean rodent. Comparisons among Los Maitenes, El Alamo, and Los Vilos, another northern population, revealed a distinct genetic subdivision between northern and southern localities, indicating little evidence of genetic exchange between these two regions. We discuss these patterns of variation in relation to previous genetic research on Spalacopus and other subterranean rodents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In mammals, the accessory olfactory or vomeronasal system exhibits a wide variety of anatomical arrangements. In caviomorph rodents, the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) exhibits a dichotomic conformation, in which two subdomains, the anterior (aAOB) and the posterior (pAOB), can be readily distinguished. Interestingly, different species of this group exhibit bias of different sign between the AOB subdomains (aAOB larger than pAOB or vice versa). Such species‐specific biases have been related with contrasting differences in the habitat of the different species (e.g. arid vs. humid environments). Aiming to deepen these observations, we performed a morphometric comparison of the AOB subdomains between two sister species of octodontid rodents, Octodon lunatus and Octodon degus. These species are interesting for comparative purposes, as they inhabit similar landscapes but exhibit contrasting social habits. Previous reports have shown that O. degus, a highly social species, exhibits a greatly asymmetric AOB, in which the aAOB has twice the size of the pAOB and features more and larger glomeruli in its glomerular layer (GL). We found that the same as in O. degus, the far less social O. lunatus also exhibits a bias, albeit less pronounced, to a larger aAOB. In both species, this bias was also evident for the mitral/tufted cells number. But unlike in O. degus, in O. lunatus this bias was not present at the GL. In comparison with O. degus, in O. lunatus the aAOB GL was significantly reduced in volume, while the pAOB GL displayed a similar volume. We conclude that these sister species exhibit a very sharp difference in the anatomical conformation of the AOB, namely, the relative size of the GL of the aAOB subdomain, which is larger in O. degus than in O. lunatus. We discuss these results in the context of the differences in the lifestyle of these species, highlighting the differences in social behaviour as a possible factor driving to distinct AOB morphometries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide the first systematic data on behavior and ecology of Aconaemys porteri. We used telemetry to monitor patterns of activity, resting locations, and range areas. Rock rat movements were statistically similar during nighttime and daytime, implying no clear diurnal or nocturnal activity. Animals used from 2 to 9 putative resting locations, but one was used more frequently. Rock rats showed relatively smaller range areas and low-to-moderate spatial overlap with neighbors, compared to other rodent species. These results indicate that A. porteri exhibit an intermediate level of sociality, compared to other octodontids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematics of fossil octodontoids (Rodentia, Caviomorpha) is in great part based on insights into the knowledge of teeth, making the step of dental characterization certainly relevant for the evolutionary reconstruction of these rodents. Different homology hypotheses were proposed for the same tooth structures, a fact that indicates the importance of knowing on which criteria the dental characters supporting the classifications were based. In this line, I evaluate the step of characterization of certain conflictive molar characters previously used, and their impact on phylogeny of octodontoids. I explore which the criteria followed to propose the hypotheses of correspondences for these characters are in light of the anatomical evidence. Based on the outcome of phylogenetic trees obtained previously, I analyze if the evolutionary transformations are compatible with character states observed in the terminals. New cladistic analyses based on recoded molar characters indicate that, unlike results recently obtained, the unorthodox position of Sallamys, Protadelphomys, and Willidewu as basal ctenomyines is not recovered. The position of Caviocricetus, Acarechimys–Neophanomysas as Octodontinae is not maintained. These results indicate that reanalyses of conflictive dental characters, scrutinizing data matrices, are particularly necessary to evaluate the current controversy on the phylogeny of octodontoids. Lower molar character definition and character states delimitation in octodontoids, being relevant to phylogenetic reconstruction, should be founded on anatomical examination, following explicit criteria of homology. Alternative hypotheses of “primary homology” proposed for the same molar traits in octodontoids indicate that each main group of caviomorphs requires its own anatomical study.

The genus Octodontomys contains only a single species, Octodontomys gliroides (P. Gervais and d'Orbigny, 1844), the mountain degu, found in Andean and Sub-Andean regions of 3 countries, Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, from elevations of about 1,200-4,400 m. This fossorial octodontid is typical of dry areas, inhabits rocky zones, and is active during the day and the first few hours of night. It is not of special conservation status, being common throughout its distribution, and is considered a species of "Least Concern." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the finding of 2 species of Pudica (Nematoda: Heligmonellidae: Pudicinae) in 2 rodents endemic to Chile, the common degu Octodon degus (Octodontidae) and the Bennett's chinchilla rat Abrocoma bennettii (Abrocomidae). Pudica degusi (Babero and Cattan, 1975) n. comb., originally described as a species of Longistriata (Heligmosomidae), was found in the common degu; through the study of its synlophe, the species is reassigned to the Heligmonellidae: Pudicinae and the genus Pudica, and it is revalidated through comparison with the remaining species of the genus. Pudica cattani n. sp. is described from both O. degus and A. bennettii. It is characterized by its large body size, bursal pattern of type 1-3-1 on right lobe, 1-3-1 tending to 1-4 on left lobe, synlophe with 11 ridges including a careen, dorsal ray of the bursa dividing proximally and bursal rays 9 and 10 relatively short. Pudica degusi n. comb. and Pudica cattani n. sp. were found in the same host species but not as coparasitic in the same individuals. The common degu is confirmed as the sole and primary host of Pudica degusi n. comb. It is unlikely that it is the primary host for Pudica cattani n. sp., whose host affinities are less clear mainly due to the scarcity of data. Pudica cattani n. sp. is the first helminth reported from the Bennett's chinchilla rat. Both findings enlarge the host range of the Pudicinae to the families Octodontidae and Abrocomidae, i.e., 9 out of the 11 extant families of caviomorphs, thereby establishing the presence of this nematode subfamily as typical parasites of the Neotropical Hystricognathi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, a detailed description of the forelimbs and hindlimbs of all living species of the genus Tympanoctomys are presented. These rodents, highly adapted to desert environments, are semi-fossorial with capacity to move on the surface as well as to build burrows. The shape, structure, and size of the limbs are described. Contrary to what was expected for scratch digging semi-fossorial species, Tympanoctomys have slender humerus, radius and ulna; with narrow epicondyles of the humerus and short olecranon of the ulna with poorly developed processes. Following our descriptions, no intrageneric morphological variation regarding to the configuration of the limbs was detected, probably due to phylogenetic proximity, and not related to specific variations in response to different use of substrates or habits. The obtained results constitute a source of previously unpublished information as well as an important base for future analysis in different studies, such as morphometric, morpho-functional, or phylogenetic researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genome of the red vizcacha rat (Rodentia, Octodontidae, Tympanoctomys barrerae) is the largest of all mammals, and about double the size of their close relative, the mountain vizcacha rat Octomys mimax, even though the lineages that gave rise to these species diverged from each other only about 5Ma. The mechanism for this rapid genome expansion is controversial, and hypothesized to be a consequence of whole genome duplication or accumulation of repetitive elements. To test these alternative but nonexclusive hypotheses, we gathered and evaluated evidence from whole transcriptome and whole genome sequences of T. barrerae and O. mimax. We recovered support for genome expansion due to accumulation of a diverse assemblage of repetitive elements, which represent about one half and one fifth of the genomes of T. barrerae and O. mimax, respectively, but we found no strong signal of whole genome duplication. In both species, repetitive sequences were rare in transcribed regions as compared with the rest of the genome, and mostly had no close match to annotated repetitive sequences from other rodents. These findings raise new questions about the genomic dynamics of these repetitive elements, their connection to widespread chromosomal fissions that occurred in the T. barrerae ancestor, and their fitness effects--including during the evolution of hypersaline dietary tolerance in T. barrerae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Octodontoidea is the most species-rich clade among hystricomorph rodents, and has a fossil record going back to at least the late Oligocene. Affinities of fossils previous to the late Miocene differentiation of the extant families Abrocomidae, Echimyidae and Octodontidae are controversial, essentially because these fossils may share few apomorphies with modern species. In fact, pre-late Miocene representatives of Abrocomidae had not been recognised until very recently. Here we revise the early Miocene genusAcarechimys, originally assigned to Echimyidae, and alternatively to stem Octodontoidea or to Octodontidae. A systematic and parsimony-based phylogenetic analysis of the species traditionally included inAcarechimysshowed that this genus is part of stem Abrocomidae. These results are primarily supported by morphology of the mandible and lower molars.Acarechimysis here restricted to three species,A. minutus,A. pulchellusandAcarechimys pascualisp. nov., while another species,A. constans, is here transferred to a new abrocomid genus. The remaining species were nested within Octodontidae. According to these results, Abrocomidae might have been as diverse as its sister clade Octodontidae-Echimyidae during the late Oligocene–early Miocene. Extinction of this diversity would have resulted in marked loss of evolutionary history, with extant abrocomids being currently restricted to late-diverged euhypsodont representatives. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Octodon (Octodontidae) is an endemic genus of rodents that is typical of southwestern South America and represented by 4 species. Octodon pacificus, commonly referred to as the Mocha Island degu, was initially described from specimens collected in 1959 at Mocha Island, a small coastal island located along the central coast of Chile. Fifty-seven years after its original collection, we report the discovery of a female O. pacificus carcass, identified by its morphological characteristics and its specific locality. In addition, based on the cytochrome b (Cytb) gene of the mitochondrial DNA obtained from O. pacificus and other congeneric species, we assessed phylogenetic relationships within the Octodontidae. Bayesian phylogenetic reconstruction indicated that O. degus represented the basal Octodon sp., followed by O. lunatus; O. bridgesii and O. pacificus were identified as sister taxa. Remarkably, the genetic divergence between O. bridgesii and O. pacificus is low, which suggests that 1 of 2 scenarios may be at play: the occurrence of a recent peripatric speciation process in O. pacificus, or the presence of O. bridgesii on Mocha Island. Documented collections of archeozoological material obtained from Mocha Island only include specimens of O. pacificus, a finding that supports our 1st proposed scenario. While the core of Mocha Island is a national reserve, strong anthropogenic landscape modifications have affected the coastal plains-the only known habitat of O. pacificus. Rodent control using killing traps and poison is a common practice on the island; therefore, population surveys and conservation initiatives are needed to conserve this endangered species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endemic to South America, octodontid rodents are remarkable by being the only mammal taxa where allotetraploidy has been documented. The taxon’s extensive morpho-physiological radiation associated to niche shifts has allowed testing phylogeographic hypotheses. Using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses, applied to all nominal species of octodontids, phylogenetic reconstructions based on sequences of 12S rRNA and growth hormone receptor gene are presented. Species boundaries were determined by coalescent analyses and divergence times among taxa were estimated based on mutation rates. Two main clades associated to the Andean orogenesis were recognized. The essentially western clade comprises genera Aconaemys , Octodon , Spalacopus, and Octodontomys whereas the eastern one included genera Octomys , Pipanacoctomys , Salinoctomys, and Tympanoctomys. Genetic relationships, coalescent analyses, and genetic distance supported the specific status given to Octodon pacificus and that given to Pipanacoctomys aureus as a species of Tympanoctomys . However , these analyses failed to recognize Salinoctomys loschalchalerosorum as a valid taxon considering its position within the diversity of Tympanoctomys barrerae . Although the origin of genome duplication remains contentious, the coincidence of the basal clade split with distinctive modes of karyotypic evolution across the Andes emphasizes the role of physiographic barriers and westerlies in shaping different edaphological conditions, selective grounds, and concomitantly distinct adaptations within the octodontids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematics of fossil octodontoids (Rodentia, Caviomorpha) is in great part based on insights into the knowledge of teeth, making the step of dental characterization certainly relevant for the evolutionary reconstruction of these rodents. Different homology hypotheses were proposed for the same tooth structures, a fact that indicates the importance of knowing on which criteria the dental characters supporting the classifications were based. In this line, I evaluate the step of characterization of certain conflictive molar characters previously used, and their impact on phylogeny of octodontoids. I explore which the criteria followed to propose the hypotheses of correspondences for these characters are in light of the anatomical evidence. Based on the outcome of phylogenetic trees obtained previously, I analyze if the evolutionary transformations are compatible with character states observed in the terminals. New cladistic analyses based on recoded molar characters indicate that, unlike results recently obtained, the unorthodox position of Sallamys, Protadelphomys, and Willidewu as basal ctenomyines is not recovered. The position of Caviocricetus, Acarechimys-Neophanomysas as Octodontinae is not maintained. These results indicate that reanalyses of conflictive dental characters, scrutinizing data matrices, are particularly necessary to evaluate the current controversy on the phylogeny of octodontoids. Lower molar character definition and character states delimitation in octodontoids, being relevant to phylogenetic reconstruction, should be founded on anatomical examination, following explicit criteria of homology. Alternative hypotheses of "primary homology" proposed for the same molar traits in octodontoids indicate that each main group of caviomorphs requires its own anatomical study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Navigational and social challenges due to habitat conditions and sociality are known to influence dentate gyrus (DG) morphology, yet the relative importance of these factors remains unclear. Thus, we studied three natural populations of O. lunatus (Los Molles) and Octodon degus (El Salitre and Rinconada), two caviomorph species that differ in the extent of sociality and with contrasting vegetation cover of habitat used. The brains and DG of male and female breeding degus with simultaneous information on their physical and social environments were examined. The extent of sociality was quantified from total group size and range area overlap. O. degus at El Salitre was more social than at Rinconada and than O. lunatus from Los Molles. The use of transects to quantify cover of vegetation (and other physical objects in the habitat) and measures of the spatial behavior of animals indicated animal navigation based on unique cues or global landmarks is more cognitively challenging to O. lunatus . Dur-ing lactation, female O. lunatus had larger brains than males. Relative DG volume was similar across sexes and populations. The right hemisphere of male and female O. lunatus had more cells than the left hemisphere, with DG directional asymmetry not found in O. degus . Degu population differences in brain size and DG cell number seemed more responsive to differences in habitat than to differences in sociality. Yet, large-sized O. degus (but not O. lunatus) that ranged over larger areas and were members of larger social groups had more DG cells per hemisphere. Thus, within-population variation in DG cell number by hemisphere was consistent with a joint influence of habitat and sociality in O. degus at El Salitre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Revisé la información sobre la dieta de 25 especies de micromamíferos que habitan en Chile, y que ha sido publicada en once artículos científicos. Dividí el aporte de cada ítem alimentario en cinco categorías: hongos, tejido vegetal, semillas, frutos e insectos. Esto me permitió representar la información documentada en la forma de diagramas De Finetti en el cual la posición trófica de una especie se representa por un punto en un triángulo equilátero. Para determinar con un criterio estadístico las líneas de corte dentro del diagrama De Fenetti realicé análisis de correspondencia. Este análisis permitió agrupar las especies en seis grupos de categorías tróficas: herbívoro, insectívoro, omnívoro, seminívoro-frugívoro, herbívoro/seminívoro-frugívoro, herbívoro/insectívoro. Los hábitos alimentarios de las especies pertenecientes a la familia Muridae incorporan dietas mixtas con una fluctuación porcentual de cada ítem, cambiando sus hábitos alimentarios significativamente entre localidades. Las especies A. bennetti, A. cinerea, A. andinus, C. lanigera, L. viscacia, M. niata, O. bridgesi y Thylamys elegans incorporan dietas constituidas solo por un ítem, cuya representatividad fue mayor al 90 %.I reviewed dietary information of 25 species of small mammals inhabiting Chile and published in 11 scientific articles. I divided the contribution of each food item in five categories: fungi, vegetation, seeds, fruits and insects. This approach allowed me to represent the information documented in the form of De Finetti diagrams, in which the trophic position of a species is represented by a point in an equilateral triangle. Through correspondence analysis, I determined statistically the groups inside the diagram De Fenetti. This analysis allowed me to group the species in seven trophic categories: herbivorous, insectivorous, omnivorous, granivorous-frugivorous, herbivorous/granivorous-frugivorous, herbivorous/insectivorous. Food habits of species in Muridae family incorporate mixed diets with a percentage fluctuation of each item, changing its food habits significantly among localities. The species A. bennetti, A. cinerea, A. andinus, C. lanigera, L. viscacia, M. niata, O. bridgesi and Thylamys elegans incorporate monospecific diets with representativeness of 90 % of consumed item

Nucleotypic effects link DNA content with nuclear size and cell dimensions of reproductive cells in polyploid organisms. We studied the gametogenesis of the allotetraploid rodent Tympanoctomys barrerae, aiming to determine these effects in reproductive cells. The species' cofamily members, Octodon degus and Spalacopus cyanus were used as control. Spermatogenesis and oogenesis in T. barrerae follows the pattern of differentiation and sequence of events of the control species, but varied nucleotypic effects were observed. Exceedingly large, spatulated spermatozoa with a submedially attached flagellum are characteristic of male T. barrerae. The diameter of the nuclei of primordial and growing follicles as well as those of the Graaff follicles, of the granulose, and of luteal cells are significantly larger and heavily heterochromatic. Moreover, the width of the pellucid zone is 108% thicker in T. barrerae than in S. cyanus. Binucleation was recorded in 26% of luteal bodies examined whereas no binucleated cells are detected in the diploid control. Likewise, large heterochromatic nucleoli were observed in the follicle cells but not in S. cyanus. This finding and the high heterochromatin content of reproductive cells in the red vizcacha rat is probably associated with its genome complexity so that redundant genetic information is silenced through heterochromatinization

We describe the Holocene distribution of the Octodontids Aconaemys fuscus, Octodon bridgesi, O. degus, O. lunatus, O. pacificus and Spalacopus cyanus from Central Chile. We compared ancient and present day ranges. The Holocene pattern was inferred from zooarchaeological records. Octodon degus, O. lunatus, O. bridgesi, and Aconaemys fuscus showed a reduction in their geographic range. Although specific mechanisms remain to be tested, human disturbance seems to be the distal factor that explains the reduction of ranges for some taxa.Describimos la distribución holocénica de los roedores octodóntidos Aconaemys fuscus, Octodon bridgesi, O. degus, O. lunatus, O. pacificus y Spalacopus cyanus en Chile central, y la comparamos con su distribución actual. El patrón de distribución holocénico se infirió de registros zooarqueológicos. Octodon degus, O. lunatus, O. bridgesi y Aconaemys fuscus muestran una reducción en su rango geográfico. A pesar de que los mecanismos específicos que explican este patrón permanecen sin ser resueltos, la perturbación humana parece ser el factor distal que explicaría la reducción en el rango de distribución para algunas de estas especies.

Este trabajo tiene por finalidad otorgar status específico pleno a la subespecie Gyropus parvus elongatus Castro, Cicchino & Torres-Mura, 1987, describir la nueva especie Gyropus distinctus a partir de materiales recolectados sobre Octodon degus (Molina, 1782) y Octodon lunatus Osgood, 1943 procedentes del centro de Chile y, finalmente, ofrecer un análisis de las posibles razones de la distribución geográfica y del rango de hospedadores conocidos para estas tres especiesThe purpose of this paper is to give full specific status to the subspecies Gyropus parvus elongatus Castro, Cicchino & Torres-Mura, 1987, to describe the new species Gyropus distinctus collected in Octodon degus and O. lunatus from central Chile, along with an analysis of the possible causes than could explain their geographic and host range distributions known to date for these three species

As presently defined, the tapeworm genus Andrya Railliet, 1895 (Cyclophyllidea: Anoplocephalidae sensu stricto) includes the type species A. rhopalocephala (Riehm, 1881) in hares of the genus Lepus Linnaeus (Leporidae) in western Eurasia and four species in cricetid (Neotominae, Sigmodontinae) and octodontid rodents in North and South America. The host range of Andrya is puzzling, because it is the only genus of anoplocephalid (s. s.) cestodes parasitising both rodents and lagomorphs. The present morphological analysis shows that the American species of Andrya share multiple consistent features, in which they differ from those of A. rhopalocephala and the morphologically related Neandrya cuniculi (Blanchard, 1891). The main differences concern the position of the uterus with respect to the longitudinal osmoregulatory canals and testes. Consequently, a new genus Andryoides gen. n. is proposed for the American species, resulting in the following combinations: Andryoides neotomae (Voge, 1946) comb. n. (type species), Andryoides octodonensis (Babero et Cattan, 1975) comb. n., Andryoides vesicula (Haverkost et Gardner, 2010) comb. n. and Andryoides boliviensis (Haverkost et Gardner, 2010) comb. n. However, A. boliviensis is regarded here as a junior synonym of A. vesicula (new synonymy). The present study also defines the morphological key features for all the valid genera of cestodes of the family Anoplocephalidae (s. s.), and discusses the phylogenetic affinities and historical biogeography of Andryoides and other endemic American anoplocephalid cestodes.

Published studies and ten new unpublished records included herein reveal that approximately 174 species of endoparasites (helminths and protozoans) are known from 65 of 163 species of rodents that occupy the subterranean ecotope globally. Of those, 94 endoparasite species were originally described from these rodents. A total of 282 host-parasite associations are summarized from four major zoogeographic regions including Ethiopian, Palearctic/Oriental, Nearctic, and Neotropical. Thirty-four parasite records from the literature have been identified to only the level of the genus. In this summary, ten new records have been added, and the most current taxonomic status of each parasite species is noted. Interestingly, there are no data on endoparasites from more than 68% of described subterranean rodents, which indicates that discovery and documentation are at an early stage and must continue., (Altangerel T. Dursahinhan, Daniel A. Kenkel, Scott L. Gardner.)

Within South American rodents, the Acaremyidae is an independent fossil lineage of octodontoids represented in the late Oligocene–middle Miocene of Patagonia.Acaremysis represented by six species recorded in the early Miocene, which have not been re-studied since their original description. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses suggest thatAcaremysis paraphyletic. Three species are valid,Acaremysmurinus,Acaremysmajor, andAcaremysmessor.Acaremyskaraikensisis a junior synonym ofAcaremysmurinus. ‘Acaremys’tricarinatusis excluded from the genus being closely related toSciamys. The new species,Pseudoacaremys kramarzi, is closely related to ‘Acaremys’tricarinatusandSciamys. ‘Acaremys’preminutusis excluded from the family being closely related to the early MioceneProtacaremys prior, or living octodontoids. The phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that Acaremyidae includesPlatypittamys,Galileomys,Acaremys,PseudoacaremysandSciamys. The new acaremyid increases the diversity of extinct octodontoids and added a new evolutionary lineage within Acaremyidae. The evolutionary history of the superfamily suggests that the hypsodonty and the consequently occlusal simplification evolved twice within Octodontoidea: in Acaremyidae and in Octodontidae. In addition, the cladistic analysis confirmed that most character ambiguities are due to missing data, and hence, it is essential to find better remains to elucidate the relationships among acaremyids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple ecological factors are known to drive variation in social behavior. However, group-living in some species appears to be highly conserved, suggesting a phylogenetic influence. In this study, we evaluated both scenarios using intraspecific and interspecific comparisons across octodontid rodents. We first examined 2 different populations of Andean degu ( Octodontomys gliroides), representing 2 extremes of a climate vegetation gradient across the Andes range. We evaluated how ecological variation in terms of abundance and distribution of food resources, predation risk, and burrowing costs predicted interpopulation variation in group size and range-area overlap (2 proxies of sociality). We estimated these measures of sociality from livetrapping and radiotelemetry. We then used phylogenetic methods to determine whether sociality exhibits a phylogenetic signal and reconstructed the ancestral state of sociality across the family Octodontidae. Overall activity of females and males of O. gliroides was greater during nighttime than daytime. Across populations we found significant differences in ecology, including abundance and distribution of food, predation risk, and burrowing costs. However, populations were similar in terms of group size and range-area overlap. The phylogenetic approach revealed a strong and significant phylogenetic signal associated with sociality, where this behavior was present early during the evolution of octodontid rodents. Together, these findings imply that sociality of O. gliroides is not linked to current population differences in ecology. La variación en la conducta social ha sido atribuida a múltiples factores ecológicos. Sin embargo, la vida en grupo en algunas especies es un rasgo altamente conservado, sugiriendo una influencia filogenética. En este estudio, se evaluó ambos escenarios usando comparaciones intraespecíficas e interespecíficas a través de roedores octodóntidos. En primer lugar se evaluaron 2 poblaciones de degu Andino ( Octodontomys gliroides) que representan 2 extremos de un gradiente climático y de vegetación a través de la Cordillera de los Andes. Se evaluó como la variación en términos de abundancia y distribución de recursos alimenticios, riesgo de depredación, y costos asociados a cavar madrigueras podrían predecir la variación interpoblacional en tamaño de grupo y solapamiento del ámbito de hogar (2 medidas de sociabilidad). Estas medidas fueron estimadas con datos de trampeo y radiotelemetría. Además, se utilizaron métodos filogenéticos para determinar si el rasgo social presenta señal filogenética, y de esta manera reconstruir el estado ancestral de la sociabilidad a través de la familia Octodontidae. Se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre las poblaciones en términos de ecología, incluyendo abundancia y distribución de recursos alimenticios, riesgo de depredación, costos asociados a cavar madrigueras. Sin embargo, el tamaño de grupo y solapamiento del ámbito de hogar fueron similares entre ambas poblaciones. El análisis filogenético reveló una fuerte y significativa señal filogenética asociada a la sociabilidad, y que esta conducta estuvo presente temprano en la evolución de los roedores octodóntidos. En conjunto, estos resultados implican que la vida en grupo en O. gliroides no está relacionada a las diferencias en ecología en las poblaciones actuales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of sociality across octodontid rodents remains puzzling. Although basal species are solitary living, the most derived octodontids studied so far are social, implying that sociality evolved recently from solitary- living ancestors. However, the social behavior of some octodontids remains anecdotal. We aimed to provide the 1st systematic data on activity, space use, and social behavior of the moon-toothed degu (Octodon lunatus), a derived octodontid rodent. We used livetrapping and radiotelemetry to monitor patterns of aboveground activity, aboveground range areas and overlap, and use of resting locations in a coastal population in north-central Chile. Activity of O. lunatus was statistically similar during nighttime and daytime, implying no clear diurnal or nocturnal activity. During daytime the animals used resting locations that were associated with high shrub cover and Pouteria splendens. Radiocollared males and females shared resting locations on multiple occasions. There was a nonsignificant trend in degus that used same resting locations to exhibit greater range overlap than degus using different resting locations. Associations based on resting locations revealed a total of 5 social groups. Taken together, these results indicate that adult O. lunatus exhibit some sociality, a finding consistent with a trend in which group living is more frequent in the most derived compared with basal octodontids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new living species of the desert-adapted tetraploid rodent Tympanoctomys (Caviomorpha, Octodontidae) is described. The new form is restricted to the type locality in Chubut Province, central Patagonia, Argentina, although is known from at least 4 additional Holocene-aged localities along the middle and lower valley of the Chubut River. Tympanoctomys sp. nov. is smaller than the living T. barrerae, its general coloration is yellowish (reddish in T. barrerae) and its tail is equal to ~43-50% of head and body length (,~049-53% in T. barrerae). Its skull and dentition are characterized by a unique combination of morphological traits, including narrow and posteriorly acuminate nasals (broad and barrel-shaped in T. barrerae), supraoccipital not laterally expanded (expanded in T. barrerae), and 8-shaped lower 3rd molar (comma-shaped in T. barrerae and †T. cordubensis). Morphometric and genetic evidence supports the specific distinction of this Patagonian endemic Tympanoctomys, also characterized by smaller sperm than T. barrerae. The reduced range of the new species, coupled with its recent extinction from the Chubut River valley and the potential impact of large uranium mining projects in central Patagonia, suggest that this species faces a severe extinction risk in the short term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study shows for the first time the presence of intra and extrapancreatic ganglionar neurons and telocytes in Octodon degus such as those described in human and guinea pig pancreas. Pancreatic ganglionar neurons were identified by their histological characteristics as well as their positive immunostaining with mouse anti-human neuron specific enolase (NSE) antibody. Somatostatin secreting delta cells (D cells) in the islets of Langerhans were identified by positive immunostaining with rabbit antihuman polyclonal somatostatin antibody. Electron microscopy evidenced the presence of some unmyelinated axons in the interlobular spaces or septa, usually located adjacent to blood vessels and the exocrine epithelial ducts. The presence of telocytes with at least 2 telopodes was observed in the interlobular space, frequently in close spatial relationship with blood vessels and nerve endings. Telocytes were often observed in the vicinity or even in close proximity with both secretory acini and exocrine epithelial ducts and regulatory nerves and blood vessel apparatuses. A possible framework has been put forward within which such structures might contribute to elicit physiological responses in the pancreas. Further studies of synaptic interactions within and between pancreatic neuron cells are needed to help clarify the morphological results reported here. A broad overview of the field of neurogastroenterology with focus on the pancreas of O. degus related to the enteric nervous system (ENS) is provided in order to help design future studies on the connections of specific neurons forming pancreatic pathways, their neurotransmission processes and how disruption of these pathways may contribute to pancreatic disease. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Caviomorph rodents represent one of the most distinctive groups of mammals in southern South America drylands; they colonized South America from Africa via trans-oceanic dispersions in the Eocene (40-50 Ma) and underwent an extraordinary ecological radiation after their arrival, thus making this group of great interest for biogeographic and evolutionary studies. The aim of this article was to provide a working hypothesis regarding the biogeographical history and ecological diversification of one of its conspicuous families, the Octodontidae. We reconstruct the evolutionary theater where their ecological diversification took place, and potential events of dispersal, vicariance and extinctions. We analyzed the historical biogeography of the Octodontidae across the eight ecoregions where they occur, based on species phylogeny and divergence times. Four approaches were used to reconstruct ancestral area: (1) Statistical Dispersal- Vicariance Snalysis ( S- DIVA); (2) Bayesian binary Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) analysis implemented in Reconstruct Ancestral State in Phylogenies ( RASP); (3) Fitch optimization method; and (d) weighted ancestral area analysis ( WAAA). Parsimony ancestral state reconstructions were implemented in order to explore the evolutionary history of an ecological character, mode of life. We propose the northern portion of the Monte desert ecoregion as the ancestral area in the evolution of the Octodontidae, with subsequent dispersal and enlargement of the family geographic range. The evolution of their ecological specialization (i.e. modes of life) suggests an ambiguous ancestral condition (saxicolous, generalist terrestrial, semifossorial) linked to species adaptation to arid environments, with fossoriality appearing later in octodontid evolution. The evolution of the Octodontidae is associated with contrasting environmental conditions (i.e. climate and vegetation) produced by the Andean Uplift between eastern and western sides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The allotetraploid Tympanoctomys barrerae has a broad, patchy distribution around salt flats in western Argentina. To gain insights into its phylogenetic relationships, phylogeographical patterns, and origin, seven populations of T. barrerae and its allied taxa were studied through a 1075-bp fragment of cytochrome b and cytochrome oxidase I. Matrilineal phylogenetic relationships were explored with maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches. The intraspecific genealogy was inferred by median-joining networks. The populational structure was assessed by molecular variance, and the demographic history through coalescence. The tree topology depicted sister-group relationship between Octomys mimax to the pair T. barrerae-Pipanacoctomys aureus, suggesting P. aureus belongs to the maternal lineage that gave rise to T. barrerae. High degrees of intrapopulational variation and the several instances of interpopulational polyphyly suggest range shifts and secondary contact. Consistent with the phylogenetic results, the network analysis revealed two haplotypic lineages depicting genetic admixtures unrelated to the current geographical distribution, and a deep split with the southernmost lineage of Chubut. The origin of T barrerae was estimated at approximately 2.52 Mya, whereas the divergence estimate for Chubut coincides with the end of largest Patagonian glaciation, at 1.47 Mya. Apparently, this population remained isolated during a northward Pleistocenic range shift. The historical demographic patterns of the lineages of T. barrerae fit with a contraction-expansion model coincident with Quaternary cycling events. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 108, 453-469. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Monte Hermoso Formation (Farola Monte Hermoso, Buenos Aires Province, early Pliocene) is very important because it is the type locality of biostratigraphic units of the South American mammal bearing Pliocene. These deposits were the base for the recognition of the Montehermosan and Lower Chapadmalalan stages/ages. The correlation of this unit, especially with the Chapadmalal Formation has been debated. Over the last twenty years, major improvements have been made in the knowledge of caviomorph rodents collected in the Monte Hermoso Formation. The results include information about systematics and morphological change within lineages of the families Echimyidae (incl. Myocastoridae), Ctenomyidae, Octodontidae, and Hydrochoeridae. This information allows refinement of biostratigraphic correlation with other localities of south-eastern Buenos Aires Province. First and last records, as well as evolutionary patterns of some lineages, suggest an important change between the faunas from the Monte Hermoso Formation (including Lithostratigraphic Units I and II) and the Chapadmalal Formation, rejecting the previously suggested similarity of the upper levels of the Monte Hermoso Formation (Unit II, Lower Chapadmalalan) with those of the Chapadmalal Formation (Upper Chapadmalalan). Studies of more lineages including new revisions are necessary to test this proposal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The evolutionary pattern of the molar morphology of the small caviomorph (Octodontidae) Neophanomys from the late Miocene Cerro Azul Formation of central Argentina is analyzed. Two new species (chronomorphs) are recognized, which constitute an anagenetically evolving lineage with a gradual and directional pattern of increasing molar hypsodonty. Dental changes related to increasing hypsodonty are comparable to those of the octodontid lineage Chasichimys also recovered from the Cerro Azul Formation. However, Neophanomys shows comparatively less variation in gross morphology and there are no evidences that this lineage achieved euhypsodonty. In contrast, important changes in enamel microstructure (schmelzmuster) are observed among different populations of Neophanomys, supporting the hypothesis that these changes can occur at least partially independently from modifications in dental gross morphology. The patterns of dental evolution detected in the Neophanomys and Chasichimys-Xenodontomys lineages and the unequivocal polarity of the changes involved, related to increasing hypsodonty, reinforce the hypothesis that chronological differences exist among late Miocene outcroppings of Cerro Azul Formation in central Argentina. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Octodontoidea is the most diverse group of caviomorph rodents. The systematics of most of the fossil representatives has been essentially based upon dental characters. Described here is an almost complete skull with dentition assigned to Prospaniomys Ameghino based upon its dental morphology. The specimen comes from the Sarmiento Formation at Pampa de Gan Gan (central Patagonia, Argentina), assigned to the Colhuehuapian SALMA (early Miocene). The most remarkable features are in the posterior portion of the skull, some of them shared with the modern octodontids and interpreted as specialized by previous authors, which contrast with the generalized dental morphology. These combined features were not previously known in other octodontoids. The comparisons with other fossil and extant members of the superfamily suggest that the characters traditionally used to associate Prospaniomys with the echimyids are very probably plesiomorphies. Prospaniomys would represent an early diverging lineage more closely related to modern octodontids than to echimyids, in which cranial structures evolved more rapidly than dental and mandibular ones. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Among the ecomorphologically diverse Octodontoidea rodents, fossorial habits are prevalent in Ctenomyidae and Octodontidae and occur in some members of Echimyidae. To detect traits linked to scratch-digging, we analyzed morpho-structural variation in the carpus and metacarpus of 27 species of extinct and living octodontoids with epigean, fossorial and subterranean habits. Within a context of relative morphological uniformity, we detected the following specialized traits in the burrowing Clyomys (Echimyidae), Spalacopus (Octodontidae), Ctenomys and Eucelophorus (Ctenomyidae): broad shortened carpus, robust metacarpals, markedly broad and short metacarpal V, and predominance of ray III (mesaxony, incipient in Spalacopus). In addition, the specialized subterranean Ctenomys presented an enlarged scapholunar in extensive contact with the unciform, and with a complex-shaped proximal articular surface. These features are interpreted as responses to mechanical requirements of scratch-digging, providing greater carpal rigidity and resistance to direct forces exerted during the digging stroke. In Ctenomys, the radius-scapholunar joint restricts movement at wrist level. The phylogenetic distribution of traits shows that the most derived carpal and metacarpal morphologies occur among subterranean octodontoids, also possessing important craniodental adaptations, and supports the hypothesis that the acquisition of digging specializations would have been linked to increasing burrowing frequency in some lineages. Nevertheless, octodontoids with less morphological specializations have metacarpal modifications advantageous for digging, suggesting that scratch-digging specialization preceded the acquisition of tooth-digging traits, in agreement with the general claim that scratch-digging is the primary diggingstrategy in burrowing mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caviomorph rodents are renowned for comparatively long gestations and producing relatively precocious offspring. The degu ( Octodon degus) is one such caviomorph, originating in central Chile and providing communal pup care within wild groups. Reported are pup growth data for two populations of captive bred degus in Britain and Chile (representing wild populations), for the first time analysing pup development over the postpartum and weaning period in detail. Pups in both colonies were found to be similarly precocial at birth as assessed by open eyes and presence of full body hair. Degu pups in the British colonies put on weight at a rate of 2-3 g/day, while pups in the Chilean colonies put on weight at a rate of 1-2 g/day over the first 14 days. At birth, individual neonates weighed 5 ± 1% of maternal mass for the British sample and 6 ± 0.5% for the Chilean sample. Sexual dimorphism occurred in the weight and growth rates of pups in both samples, despite the lack of sexual dimorphism in adults of the species. Data for breeding female weight changes were also analysed, providing the first reported observations for this crucial period. Pregnant female weight gain was found to vary over the course of gestation, and post partum weight changes varied significantly between breeding females in accordance with litter size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daily rhythms in different biochemical and hematological variables have been widely described in either diurnal or nocturnal species, but so far no studies in the rhythms of these variables have been conducted in a dual-phasing species such as the degus. The Octodon degus is a rodent that has the ability to switch from diurnal to nocturnal activity under laboratory conditions in response to wheel-running availability. This species may help us discover whether a complete temporal order inversion occurs parallel to the inversion that has been observed in this rodent's activity pattern. The aim of the present study is to determine the phase relationships among 26 variables, including behavioral, physiological, biochemical, and hematological variables, during the day and at night, in diurnal and nocturnal degus chronotypes induced under controlled laboratory conditions through the availability of wheel running. A total of 39 male degus were individually housed under a 12:12 light-dark (LD) cycle, with free wheel-running access. Wheel-running activity (WRA) and body temperature (Tb) rhythms were recorded throughout the experiment. Melatonin, hematological, and biochemical variables were determined by means of blood samples obtained every 6 h (ZT1, ZT7, ZT13, and ZT19). In spite of great differences in WRA and Tb rhythms between nocturnal and diurnal degus, no such differences were observed in the temporal patterns of most of the biological variables analyzed for the two chronotypes. Variation was only found in plasma urea level and lymphocyte number. A slight delay in the phase of the melatonin rhythm was also observed. This study shows the internal temporal order of a dual-phasing mammal does not show a complete inversion in accordance with its activity and body temperature pattern; it would appear that the switching mechanism involved in the degu's nocturnalism is located downstream from the pacemaker. (Author correspondence: ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Octodon degus is a primarily diurnal rodent that presents great variation in its circadian chronotypes due to the interaction between two phase angles of entrainment, diurnal and nocturnal, and the graded masking effects of environmental light and temperature. The aim of this study was to test whether the circadian system of this diurnal rodent can be internally dissociated by imposing cycles shorter and longer than 24 h, and to determine the influence of degus chronotypes and wheel-running availability on such dissociation. To this end, wheel-running activity and body temperature rhythms were studied in degus subjected to symmetrical light-dark (LD) cycles of T28h and T21h. The results show that both T-cycles dissociate the degus circadian system in two different components: one light-dependent component (LDC) that is influenced by the presence of light, and a second non–light-dependent component (NLDC) that free-runs with a period different from the external lighting cycle. The LDC was more evident in the nocturnal than diurnal chronotype, and also when wheel running was available. Our results show that, in addition to rats and mice, degus must be added to the list of species that show an internal dissociation in their circadian rhythms when exposed to forced desynchronization protocols. The existence of a multioscillatory circadian system having two groups of oscillators with low coupling strength may explain the flexibility of degus chronotypes. (Author correspondence: ) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subterranean rodents construct large and complex burrows and spend most of their lives underground, while fossorial species construct simpler burrows and are more active above ground. An important constraint faced by subterranean mammals is the chronic hypoxia and hypercapnia of the burrow atmosphere. The traits, regarded as “adaptations of rodents to hypoxia and hypercapnia”, have been evaluated in only a few subterranean species. In addition, well-studied subterranean taxa are very divergent to their sister groups, making it difficult to assess the adaptive path leading to subterranean life. The closely related sister genera Octodon and Spalacopus of Neotropical rodents offer a unique opportunity to trace the evolution of physiological mechanisms. We studied the ventilatory responses of selected octodontid rodents to selective pressures imposed by the subterranean niche under the working hypothesis that life underground, in hypoxic and hypercapnic conditions, promotes convergent physiological changes. To perform this study we used the following species: Spalacopus cyanus (the subterranean coruros) and Octodon degus (the fossorial degus) from central Chile. Ventilatory tidal volume and respiratory frequency were measured in non-anaesthetized spontaneously breathing animals. Acute hypoxic challenges (O2 1–15%) and hypercapnia (CO2 10%) were induced to study respiratory strategies using non-invasive whole body pletismography techniques. Our results show that coruros have a larger ventilatory response to acute hypoxia as than degus. On the other hand, hypercapnic respiratory responses in coruros seem to be attenuated when compared to those in degus. Our results suggest that coruros and degus have different respiratory strategies to survive in the hypoxic and hypercapnic atmospheres present in their burrows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Octomys mimax O. Thomas, 1920, the viscacha rat, is a surface-dwelling rodent, endemic to the Monte biome of western Argentina. The genus Octomys is monotypic and represents a basal clade within the family Octodontidae. O. mimax is strictly herbivorous and is found in low-elevation arid environments characterized by galleries or rock formations. In these environments, O. mimax nests within rock crevices located inside ravines with relatively low vegetation cover. O. mimax is solitary and mostly nocturnal. Nocturnal activity coupled with a basal metabolic rate and thermal conductance lower than expected for body mass of O. mimax probably represent strategies for water conservation in this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The red viscacha rat, Tympanoctomys barrerae, is an octodontid rodent endemic to the arid west-central and southern regions of Argentina. It is solitary, lives in complex burrows built in soft soil, and occurs at low population densities in patches associated with salt basins and sand dunes in lowland habitats of the Monte and Patagonia deserts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the genetic structure and biogeography of this desert specialist. To assess genetic variation an 800-base pair fragment of the mitochondrial control region was sequenced for 60 individuals from 8 localities across the species' range. Relationships among haplotypes were inferred from phylogenetic analyses (maximum parsimony, Bayesian, and networks). Genetic structure and demographic history were analyzed with descriptive statistics, mismatch distributions, neutrality tests (Tajima's and Fu's), and analyses of molecular variance (AMOVAs). In total, 26 haplotypes were found, most restricted to single populations. The presence of unshared haplotypes was consistent with low migration rates. Within the distribution (between 29°S and 39°S) southern and northern populations showed higher genetic diversity values than central populations. Populations of T. barrerae showed moderate to high genetic differentiation on the basis of haplotypes of central populations. AMOVA analyses indicated a moderate level of geographic structure for all populations. Low haplotype and nucleotide diversities in central populations suggest a possible bottleneck associated with Pleistocene glaciations or volcanic activity in this part of the range of the viscacha rat. Phylogeographic structure was moderate, and the analyses recovered 2 principal clades: A (with central and a part of the southern distribution) and B (with northern and another part of the southern distribution). Most populations were polyphyletic, indicating that they have not been isolated long enough to reach reciprocal monophyly. Demographic analyses conducted for clades A and B suggest a recent history of population expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Octodon degus, a mainly diurnal rodent, characterized by its ability to shift to a nocturnal locomotor pattern under laboratory conditions, was studied to determine whether restricted food access during the scotophase could induce nocturnalism. To address this question, wheel running activity, feeding, and body temperature rhythms were analyzed for diurnal degus housed with a wheel and subjected to either long (12 h) or short (2 h) food availability periods, in the latter case with random or scheduled food access times. The results show that allowing nocturnal feeding for 2 h, but not 12 h, can shift a previous diurnal phase preference for wheel running activity and body temperature to the scotophase, with random feeding being more effective than scheduled food availability. However, this behavioral inversion proved to be unstable, as the degus returned to the diurnal phase within only a few days after the restricted feeding was discontinued. In addition, the negative masking effect induced by light, which is characteristic of the degus' nocturnal chronotype, was not observed when the animals were forced to feed at night. Thus, neither long, short, random, nor scheduled food-availability during the scotophase was able to induce all the characteristics of the nocturnal chronotype in Octodon degus. (Author correspondence: ) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Habitat selection in deserts is mainly modulated by the availability of resources. The basic hypotheses regarding coexistence of species in arid environments offer two possibilities: 1) coexisting species partition available resources (each species acting as a specialist) and 2) generalists coexist with specialists because the former use habitats which are underused or not selected by the latter. This study presents the first data on macro- and microhabitat selection by Eligmodontia moreni (Cricetidae) and Octomys mimax (Octodontidae), two rodent species which coexist in the most arid part of the Monte desert of Argentina. In order to evaluate both hypotheses, animals were trapped during two seasons (humid and dry) in six macrohabitats of the arid Monte (creosote bush scrub, mesquite woodlands, columnar cactus slopes, barrens, chical and saltbush). A multivariate analysis of variance was used to evaluate differences in PCA components of microhabitat (floristic composition and vegetation structure) among capture and control points. The resulting models suggest E. moreni to be described as a fine-grained generalist species, which would be segregated from the specialist O. mimax in shared macrohabitats by resource partitioning, basically related to substrate type and vegetation cover. Our findings accord with theories of community assembly involving generalist and specialist species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Escape theory predicts that a prey should flee from an approaching predator at a point in which the cost of staying equals the cost of escape. We manipulated the cost of fleeing upon approaching human predators by providing the small mammal Octodon degus (Molina, 1782) with varying amounts of supplementary food likely to disappear while the animals are not in the food patch (e.g., hidden in their burrows). Simultaneously, we manipulated the risk of remaining in the patch by providing supplementary food at varying distances from the nearest burrow. Degus fled at a shorter distance to approaching predators when foraging in patches closer to the nearest burrow and supplied with relatively high abundance of food, but only when these rodents were foraging socially. Also, degus fled at a greater distance to approaching predators when foraging in patches far from the nearest burrow. Thus, functions linked to the loss of feeding opportunities and the risk of predation interact to influence flight initiation distance after a simulated attack. This study represented one of the few demonstrations of an interactive effect between cost and risks on antipredator behavior in a small, social prey mammal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The present work is aimed to establish, in Ctenomys talarum, the physiological and behavioral adjustments undergone by individuals when they are allowed to dig burrows in soils with different hardness and fed with diets of different quality. For each soil–diet combination, we estimated: resting metabolic rate (RMR), body temperature (T b), body mass, digestibility, food consumption rate, transit time, reingestion rate, feces production and time devoted to feeding, resting, locomotor activity and coprophagy. Soil type and diet quality affected RMR, but response to soil hardness was verified later. Animals fed with high quality (HQ) diet showed similar body temperature irrespective of soil condition, while animals fed with low quality (LQ) diet showed lower T b under soft soil (SS). Individuals fed with LQ diet showed lower RMR and both, lower digestibility and high transit time of food than those fed with HQ diet. Moreover, increments in feeding and defecation rates were observed in the former group. Number of reingested feces did not differ between animals fed with diets of different quality. However, when incidence of reingestion was considered, animals fed with HQ diet showed higher values of feces ingestion. Either feeding, resting and activity patterns were arrhythmic. However, for animals fed with LQ diet a tendency to rhythmic coprophagy was observed and it could be considered as a way to optimize feeding. This study shows that RMR is limited by digestive efficiency which is influenced by diet quality, but also thermal stress may limit the conversion of assimilated energy into work and heat. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Diurnal and nocturnal species have different patterns of general activity, sleep-wake rhythms, and endocrine rhythms, but the mechanisms underlying these differences are not clear. Here, we tested the hypothesis that rhythms in immediate early gene (IEG) products in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of a diurnal rodent (Octodon degus) reflect their diurnal chronotype. We also compared male and female degus with respect to temporal patterns of expression of one of these gene products, Fos-related Antigen (FRA). Animals were killed across the light:dark cycle, brains were collected, and sections through the SCN were stained for FRA (females and males) or c-Fos and Calbindin (males only) using immunocytochemistry. An additional set of females placed in constant darkness was pulsed with light (or not) during the subjective day or night. Labeled cells in the SCN were counted in all animals. In males, c-Fos/FRA positive (+) cell counts in the dorsomedial SCN were low after lights-on and peaked around the time of lights-off (ZT 13, ZT 0=lights-on). Effect size analyses indicated that females have a 24 h rhythm in FRA expression that is shifted relative to that of males. Light pulses in the subjective day and night produced area-specific changes in IEG expression in females that differs from that reported for males. Overall, these studies reveal the pattern of immediate early gene expression in the SCN of degus is not the same in males and females, and that it differs from the one seen in other species, both nocturnal and diurnal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the existence of Tympanoctomys barrerae, red vizcacha rat, in Central Patagonia, Argentina. The said octodontid has been able to adapt to conditions in deserts and typically eats halophytic chenopods, which include Atriplex, Heterostachys and Soueda. It is noted that the rat has a specialized kidney that can conserve water and secrete concentrated urine. Two males and one female red vizcacha rat were captured from Central Patagonia. These specimens were seen to have more grayish color while the sperms were smaller in size.

Although foraging comprises a set of behaviours that typically vary with resource availability and/or climatic conditions, few studies have analysed how foraging, particularly food hoarding, varies across populations inhabiting different habitats. We carried out an inter-population study on foraging behaviour with the caviomorph rodent Octodon degus collected from two geographically separated populations in central Chile, with contrasting climates. One population was located in a mountainous zone (at 2600 m elevation) characterized by a high-altitude climate. The other population was from a low-altitude Mediterranean climate zone (450 m elevation). Under laboratory conditions, we measured population-specific differences in food consumption and hoarding by recording food utilization. We also assessed whether acclimation played a role in behavioural differences, by using two different sets of animals that had been in captivity for (1) 2 wk or (2) 6 mo, under common conditions. The results showed variation in food hoarding between populations. Individuals from the low-altitude population exclusively displayed scatter hoarding behaviour. In contrast, high-altitude animals carried out larder hoarding combined with scatter hoarding (37.4% and 62.6% respectively). There was no intra-population variation between degus with different acclimation periods under captivity, thus inter-population differences in larder hoarding were maintained despite 6 mo of acclimation to a common environment. The geographic variation observed suggests that larder hoarding is favoured under harsher environmental conditions. We discuss some probable causes for this variation. The lack of effect of acclimation suggests that inter-population differences in larder hoarding might be the result of local adaptation or, less likely, it corresponds to an ontogenetically acquired irreversible behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The vomeronasal system (VNS) of rodents participates in the regulation of a variety of social and sexual behaviours related to semiochemical communication. All rodents studied so far possess two parallel pathways from the vomeronasal organ (VNO) to the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB). These segregated afferences express either Gi2 or Go protein α-subunits and innervate the rostral or caudal half of the AOB, respectively. In muroid rodents, such as rats and mice, both subdivisions of the AOB are of similar proportions; as there is no anatomical feature indicative of the segregation, histochemical detection has been required to portray its boundary. We studied the AOB of Octodon degus, a diurnal caviomorph rodent endemic to central Chile, and found several distinctive traits not reported in a rodent before: (i) the vomeronasal nerve innervates the AOB from its lateral aspect, in opposition to the medial innervation described in rabbits and muroids, (ii) an indentation that spans all layers delimits the boundary between the rostral and caudal AOB subdivisions (rAOB and cAOB, respectively), (iii) the rAOB is twice the size of the cAOB and features more and larger glomeruli, and (iv) the rAOB, but not the cAOB, shows male-biased sexual dimorphisms in size and number of glomeruli, while the cAOB, but not the rAOB, shows a male-biased dimorphism in mitral cell density. The heterogeneities we describe here within AOB subdomains suggest that these segregated regions may engage in distinct operationalities. We discuss our results in relation to conspecific semiochemical communication in O. degus, and present it as a new animal model for the study of VNS neurobiology and evolution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To examine the evolution of burrowing specializations in the sister families Octodontidae and Ctenomyidae (Rodentia: Caviomorpha), we produced a synthetic phylogeny (supertree), combining both molecular and morphological phylogenies, and including both fossil and extant genera. We mapped morphological specializations of the digging apparatus onto our phylogenetic hypothesis and attempted to match morphological diversity with information on the ecology and behaviour of octodontoid taxa. Burrowing for sheltering and rearing is the rule among octodontids and ctenomyids, and adaptations for digging have been known from the Early Pliocene onward. However, only a few taxa have evolved fully subterranean habits. Scratch-digging is widespread among both semifossorial and fully subterranean lineages, and morphological changes associated with scratch-digging are not restricted to subterranean lineages. By contrast, various adaptations for chisel-tooth digging are restricted to some subterranean lineages and are combined differently in the octodontid Spalacopus, the fossil ctenomyid Eucelophorus, and some living Ctenomys. Some octodontid taxa are able to dig complex burrows in spite of having no substantial changes in musculoskeletal attributes. Hence, we suggest that, during the early evolution of those branches giving rise to fully subterranean ctenomyids and octodontids, a change in behaviour probably preceded the origin of structural adaptations. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 95, 267–283. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spalacopus cyanus is a subterranean rodent inhabiting coastal and mountain habitats. Individuals from mountain populations are larger than individuals from the coast, and mountain populations have a more limited geographic range. To investigate the genetic structure and biogeography of this species, we analyzed mitochondrial DNA control region sequences. We found low levels of nucleotide diversity in comparison with other subterranean rodents. Coastal populations had higher nucleotide diversity and effective population size than mountain populations. Phylogenetic analysis using maximum parsimony and a haplotype network generated using statistical parsimony recognized 3 groups of haplotypes: northern coastal and mountain populations, central coastal populations, and southern coastal population. Consistent with the presence of unshared haplotypes, migration rates were practically 0, except from Valparaíso to Ventanas and from La Parva to Huentelauquén. We observed asymmetric migration rates from mountain to coastal populations, suggesting that this species originated in the Andean mountains. A likelihood ratio test could not reject the null hypothesis of a stable population when all sequences were grouped into a single population and when coastal populations were analyzed separately. However, a negative exponential growth parameter was estimated for mountain populations, suggesting that these populations have undergone recent demographic changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]