Octodontidae

Octodontidae is a family of rodents, restricted to southwestern South America. Fourteen species of octodontid are recognised, arranged in seven genera. The best known species is the common degu, ''Octodon degus''.

Octodontids are medium-sized rodents, ranging from in body length. They have long, silky, fur, which is typically brownish in color, and often paler on the underside. The name 'octodont' derives from the wear pattern of their teeth, which resembles a figure 8. Most are nocturnal, social, burrowing animals, though the degu is largely diurnal. They are herbivorous, eating tubers, bulbs, and cactuses.

Some authors have suggested that the octodontids should be reclassified in the order Lagomorpha, but this has not been supported by further analyses. Older literature includes the tuco-tucos in the family, as the subfamily Ctenomyinae, but these animals are normally now treated as a separate family, Ctenomyidae. There is some evidence that evolution within the family may have resulted from polyploidy. The red viscacha rat, ''Tympanoctomys barrerae'', is tetraploid, with 102 chromosomes, and the recently described golden viscacha rat ''Pipanacoctomys aureus'' has 92.

Members of the genus '' Aconaemys'' are referred to as rock rats, and members of genera '' Octodon'' and '' Octodontomys'' are called degus, though the name degu on its own historically implied ''O. degu''. The single member of '' Spalacopus'', ''S. cyanus'', is called the coruro. Members of the other genera are called viscacha rats.

List of species

Genus '' Aconaemys'' Ameghino, 1891 (Andean rock rats).
*Species '' Aconaemys fuscus'' (Waterhouse, 1842) (Chilean rock rat). Andes of Chile and Argentina.
*Species ''Aconaemys porteri'' Thomas, 1917. (Porter's rock rat) Andes of Chile and Argentina.
*Species ''Aconaemys sagei'' (Pearson, 1984) (Sage's rock rat). Andes of Chile and Argentina.
Genus '' Spalacopus'' ( Wagler, 1832).
*Species '' Spalacopus cyanus'' Molina, 1782. (Coruro). Central Chile.
Genus '' Octodon'' Bennett, 1832 (typical degus).
*Species ''Octodon bridgesii'' Waterhouse, 1844 (Bridges's degu). Western Chile
*Species '' Octodon degus'' (Molina, 1782) (Common degu). Western Chile.
*Species '' Octodon lunatus'' Osgood, 1943 (Moon-toothed degu). Western Chile.
*Species '' Octodon pacificus'' Hutterer, 1994 (Isla Mocha degu). Isla Mocha, off western Chile.
*Species '' Octodon ricardojeda'' D'Elía, Teta, Verzi, Cadenilla, & Patton, 2020 (Ricardo Ojeda's degu). Andes of Chile and Argentina.
Genus '' Octodontomys'' Palmer, 1903.
*Species '' Octodontomys gliroides'' Gervais & D'Orbigny, 1844. (Mountain degu) Andes of northwestern Argentina, extreme northeastern Chile and western Bolivia.
Genus '' Octomys'' Thomas, 1920.
*Species ''Octomys mimax'' Thomas, 1920 (Mountain viscacha rat). Andes of Argentina.
Genus '' Pipanacoctomys'' Mares et al., 2000.
*Species '' Pipanacoctomys aureus'' Mares et al., 2000 (Golden viscacha rat). Catamarca Prov., Argentina.
Genus '' Tympanoctomys'' Yepes, 1942.
*Species '' Tympanoctomys barrerae'' (Lawrence, 1941) (Plains viscacha rat or Red viscacha rat). Scattered localities in western Argentina.
*Species ''Tympanoctomys loschalchalerosorum'' (Mares, Braun, Barquez & Diaz, 2000) (Chalchalero viscacha rat). Salinas Grandes, Argentina.
*Species ''Tympanoctomys kirchnerorum'' (Teta, Pardiñas, Sauthier & Gallardo, 2014) (Kirchner's viscacha rat). western Argentina.
*Species †''Tympanoctomys cordubensis''

References

*Gallardo, M. H. ''et al.''. (2004). Whole-genome duplications in South American desert rodents (Octodontidae). ''Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 82'', 443-451.

External links

Deguworld.com
- The Internet's Degu Expert, providing information, a forum and advice on raising your Degus.
*http://www.degutopia.co.uk

{{Taxonbar, from=Q852773

Hystricognath rodents
Rodent families
Extant Miocene first appearances
Taxa named by George Robert Waterhouse