The Chalchalero viscacha rat or Chalchalero vizcacha rat (''Tympanoctomys loschalchalerosorum'') is a species of

caviomorph Caviomorpha is the rodent infraorder or parvorder that unites all New World hystricognaths. It is supported by both fossil and molecular evidence. The Caviomorpha was for a time considered to be a separate order outside the Rodentia, but is now a ...

rodent in the family

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 ...

. It was formerly considered to be

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

within the genus ''Salinoctomys'', but has been shown by genetic analysis to nest within ''

Tympanoctomys ''Tympanoctomys'' is a genus of rodent in the family Octodontidae. There are three extant species in the genus: '' T. barrerae'', '' T. kirchnerorum'' and '' T. loschalchalerosorum''. ''T. loschalchalerosorum'' was formerly considered to be monot ...

'', and in particular, within the variation of '' T. barrerae''. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to a small area of northwestern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, where it lives in

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

s bordering the salt flats of the

Salinas Grandes The Salinas Grandes ('Salina' is a spanish word for salt flat) is a large salt flat in central-northern Argentina, spanning the borders of four provinces ( Córdoba, Catamarca, La Rioja and Santiago del Estero), at an average altitude of abov ...

. Its diet consists of

halophyte A halophyte is a salt-tolerant plant that grows in soil or waters of high salinity, coming into contact with saline water through its roots or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs and seashores. T ...

plants. It is named after an Argentine musical group, Los Chalchaleros, whose songs were popular with its discoverers.

Description

The Chalchalero viscacha rat is a medium-sized species of rat. Its dorsal fur is dark brownish black while its underparts are white. The hairs on its back are about long and have a grey base, a brown band and a black tip, and the guard hairs are a uniform darkish brown. This viscacha rat reaches a head-and-body length of with a tail length of . The tail is relatively long, clad with hair along its entire length and ends with a black tassel. The soles of the feet have six pads, and there is a fringe of hairs around the feet.

Status

It is only found within an area totalling less than and it actually occupies only about one tenth of that area. It lives among the salt-loving plants that grow between the salt pans and the dense thorn scrub typical of the surrounding area. Its population is decreasing and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature 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 ...

has rated its conservation status as " critically endangered".

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1059502 Mammals described in 2000 Mammals of Argentina Tympanoctomys