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| Hapalomys suntsovi Abramov, Balakirev & Rozhnov, 2017 |
Abstract
A new species of marmoset rat, Hapalomys suntsovi, is described from Binh Phuoc Province, southern Vietnam. The species seems to be endemic to Vietnam. It is diagnosed on the basis of cranial morphology, the diversity of COI gene sequences and karyotypic peculiarities. A comparison with the two currently recognised Hapalomys species is provided. This finding represents the southernmost record of marmoset rats in Vietnam.
Key words. rodents, skull morphology, genetic diversity, Southeast Asia, new species
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| Hapalomys suntsovi Abramov, Balakirev & Rozhnov, 2017 |
Diagnosis. A medium-sized Hapalomys that on the average
is smaller in its external and cranial measurements than H.
longicaudatus. It is comparable to H. delacouri in its body
and cranium size, but can be distinguished by the longer tail,
the relatively short incisive foramina, and the cytochrome
oxidase c subunit I (COI). Distinguished from both known
species by the karyotype composition.
Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Dr Viktor V.
Suntsov (A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution,
Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow), in recognition of
his many contributions to the study of rodents of Vietnam.
During 1992–2010, Dr Suntsov headed the Southern Division
of the Joint Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and
Technological Centre in Ho Chi Minh City.
Distribution. Currently known from the type locality, the
Bu Gia Map National Park, Binh Phuoc Province, Southern
Vietnam. It is likely to occur in the adjacent forest regions
of Eastern Cambodia.
Natural history. The series of type specimens was collected
in old, mature, thick trunk bamboo thickets growing along a
forest road (Abramov et al., 2011). All specimens were taken
by traps set 5–7 m over the ground surface. Two females
caught on 13 January 2010 were pregnant (at early stage)
bearing four and five small embryos.
A.V. Abramov, A.E. Balakirev and V.V. Rozhnov. 2017. New Insights Into the Taxonomy of the Marmoset Rats Hapalomys (Rodentia: Muridae).
RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY. 65: 20–28.
RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY. 65: 20–28.
