The Andean caenolestid (''Caenolestes condorensis''), also known as the Andean shrew opossum or Condor caenolestid, is a

shrew opossum The family (biology), family Caenolestidae contains the seven surviving species of shrew opossum: small, shrew-like marsupials that are confined to the Andes mountains of South America. The order is thought to have diverged from the ancestral mar ...

known only from

Cordillera del Cóndor The Cordillera del Cóndor (Condor mountain range) is a mountain range in the eastern Andes that is shared by and part of the international border between Ecuador and Peru. The range extends approximately 150 km north to south and its m ...

(

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

), its type locality. It was first described by zoologists Bruce D. Patterson and Albuja V. Luis in 1996. It is the largest caenolestid. The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

classifies it as vulnerable. As of 2015, the population is estimated at less than 1,000.

Taxonomy and etymology

The Andean caenolestid is one of the five members of ''

Caenolestes The common shrew opossums (genus ''Caenolestes'') are members of the family Caenolestidae. They are found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República ...

'', and is placed in the family

Caenolestidae The family Caenolestidae contains the seven surviving species of shrew opossum: small, shrew-like marsupials that are confined to the Andes mountains of South America. The order is thought to have diverged from the ancestral marsupial line very e ...

(shrew opossums). It was first described by zoologists Bruce D. Patterson (of the

Field Museum of Natural History The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educational ...

) and Albuja V. Luis (of the National Polytechnic School) in 1996 from an adult male specimen captured from

(

). They procured a total of three specimens. In the latter part of 20th century, scientists believed that ''Caenolestes'' is closely related to ''Lestoros'' (the Incan caenolestid). Over the years, it became clear that ''Lestoros'' is morphologically different from ''Caenolestes''. A 2013 morphological and

mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial D ...

-based

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

study showed that the Incan caenolestid and the long-nosed caenolestid (''Rhyncholestes raphanurus'') form a

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

to ''Caenolestes''. The cladogram below is based on this study. Caenolestid fossils date to as early as the early

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

(nearly 55 mya). The generic name ''Caenolestes'' derives from the Greek words ''kainos'' ("new") and ''lestes'' ("robber", "pirate"). The specific epithet ''condorensis'' is based on the name of the type locality, Cordillera del Cóndor. It is also known by the name 'Condor caenolestid'.

Description

Patterson and Luis identified the Andean caenolestid as the largest in its family. It is characterized by large, heavy canines, long

rostrum Rostrum may refer to: * Any kind of a platform for a speaker: **dais **pulpit * Rostrum (anatomy), a beak, or anatomical structure resembling a beak, as in the mouthparts of many sucking insects * Rostrum (ship), a form of bow on naval ships * Ros ...

(nearly long), massive skull (nearly long), whitish whiskers, dark brown coat, and a dark spot on the chest. The mean external measurements recorded from the three specimens were as follows: the total length was , the weight was , the tail was long, the hindfeet measured and the ears .

Sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

is prominent, with males larger than females.

Distribution and status

The Andean caenolestid is known only from Cordillera del Cóndor, which is located in the eastern

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

. The locality is characterized by

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

deposits dating to the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...

, vegetation less than in height and

bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, ...

s (locally known as "achupallas"). The specimens were captured on the

ecotone An ecotone is a transition area between two biological communities, where two communities meet and integrate. It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local (the zone between a field and forest) or regional (the transition between forest and gras ...

(interface) between the short grassy vegetation of the plateau and the higher, wooded slopes. The

classifies it as vulnerable. As of 2015, the population is estimated at less than 1,000.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q194377 Shrew opossums Endemic fauna of Ecuador Marsupials of South America Mammals of Ecuador Vulnerable animals Vulnerable biota of South America Mammals described in 1996