Morphological reassessment and new locality records for Galea comes Thomas, 1919 (Rodentia, Caviidae).

The genus Galea Meyen, 1833 includes at least five species of terrestrial, diurnal and herbivorous cavies that occupy grasslands and rocky scrub areas at both high and low elevations in South America. According to the available molecular and morphological data, Galea comes Thomas, 1919 is restricted to highland areas above 2000 m in southern Bolivia and northwestern Argentina. Its distributional range as well as its morphological distinctiveness from other closely related species (Galea leucoblephara and Galea musteloides) is poorly documented. Using both qualitative and quantitative morphological traits, we provided an emended diagnosis for G. comes. In addition, we added six new locality records to its known distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]