The highlands punaré (''Thrichomys inermis'') is a
caviomorph
Caviomorpha is the rodent 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 accepted as ...
rodent of
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
from the
spiny rat family.
It is endemic to
gallery forest
A gallery forest is one formed as a corridor along rivers or wetlands, projecting into landscapes that are otherwise only sparsely treed such as savannas, grasslands, or deserts. The gallery forest maintains a more temperate microclimate above th ...
,
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
and rocky outcrop habitats in
Bahia State within the
Caatinga
Caatinga () is a type of semi-arid tropical vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in interior northeastern Brazil. The name "Caatinga" comes from the Tupi word '' ka'atinga'', meaning "white forest" or "white vegetat ...
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...
of eastern
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
at elevations from 260 m to 1030 m.
It sometimes nests and often takes refuge in crevices in rock formations, as means of both predator avoidance and moderating temperature extremes.
The species tolerates a degree of habitat disturbance. Although hunted, it is considered common throughout its range.
Its
karyotype
A karyotype is the general appearance of the complete set of chromosomes in the cells of a species or in an individual organism, mainly including their sizes, numbers, and shapes. Karyotyping is the process by which a karyotype is discerned by de ...
has
2n = 26 and
FN = 48.
[
The etymology of the species name corresponds to the ]Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
word '' inermis'' meaning ''unarmed, defenceless'' — itself constructed from the prefix '' in-'' meaning ''without'' and the stem ''arma
Arma, ARMA or variants, may refer to:
Places
* Arma, Kansas, United States
* Arma, Nepal
* Arma District, Peru
* Arma District, Yemen
* Arma Mountains, Afghanistan
People
* Arma people, an ethnic group of the middle Niger River valley
* Arma lan ...
'' meaning ''defensive arms, armor'' —,
References
External links
*Animal Diversity Web –
''Thrichomys inermis'' Highlands punaré
Thrichomys
Mammals described in 1841
Rodents of Brazil
Endemic mammals of Brazil
Fauna of the Caatinga
Taxa named by François Jules Pictet de la Rive
{{Echimyidae-stub