Ctenomys flamarioni Travi 1981
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Ctenomyidae
Ctenomys
Ctenomys flamarioni

description: 33.
Flamarion’s Tuco-tuco
Ctenomys flamarioni
French: Tuco-tuco de Flamarion / German: Flamarion-Kammratte / Spanish: Tuco tuco de Flamarion
Other common names: Tuco-tuco of the Dunes
Taxonomy. Ctenomys flamarioni Travi, 1981,
“Fazenda Cacapava, Estacao Ecologica do Taim, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.”
Ctenomys flamarioni is included in the mendocinus-species group, based both on phylogenetic analysis with mtDNA and biogeography. Like C. australis, it lives in the first line of dunes on beaches. Ctenomys flamarioni is the same color as C. australis, light almost white. As with C. australis, the karyotype of C. flamarioni is 2n = 48, but FN varies from 50 to 78. Variation is due to constitutive heterochromatin in small arm chromosomes. In the north, its distribution overlaps with that of C. minutus, which occupies sand dunes to the north in Laguna, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Monotypic.
Distribution. SE Brazil, restricted to the coastal dunes of Rio Grande do Sul State, from Arroio do Sal (29°33°05” S and 49°52°53” W) S to Chui Beach (33°44’46” S and 53°22’ 54” W) and the Rio Chui; possibly also in coastal S Santa Catarina State and N Uruguay.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 247-4 mm,tail 74 mm, hindfoot (without claw) 42 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Flamarion’s Tuco-tuco is medium to large-sized. Fur is dark gray at base and varies at upper middle from almost white in flanks and neck and clear brown on dorsum. Overall pelage is sandy, soft, dense, fine, and a little disarranged. Skin of tail and feetis visibly rose colored; they are recovered by sparse short white hairs, concentrated in upper and lower of one-third distal part of tail. Tail is compressed laterally. Fingers have sequences of white long hard hairs, distributed in comb form, increasing area of contact between foot and soil. Hand has two additional muscular appendices in opposition to fingers; one of them is capable of handling and cleaning food.
Habitat. First line of dunes in the seashore.
Food and Feeding. Flamarion’s Tuco-tuco forages primarily on grasses (Poaceae) and sedges (Cyperaceae).
Breeding. Female Flamarion’s Tuco-tucos can be reproductively active throughout the year but most commonly in autumn, less so in winter, and not in spring. Lactating females were most commonly found in summer. Pregnant females generally have 1-2 embryos, and gestation is ¢.120 days. Mating system has been described as polygynous.
Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Flamarion’s Tuco-tucos is solitary. Male territories are nearly five times larger than those of females, and adult sex ratio is slightly biased toward females. Burrow systems are quite long and longer for males than females. Average burrow depth is ¢.30 cm.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. Flamarion’s Tuco-tuco is highly endemic to sand dune ecosystems. It has been included in the National List of Species of the Brazilian Endangered Fauna as vulnerable. Genetics, demographics, and ecological requirements of Flamarion’s Tuco-tuco need to be studied to establish appropriate management to counteract risk of extinction.
Bibliography. Bidau (2015), Cook & Salazar-Bravo (2004), Fernandes et al. (2007), Fernandez-Stolz et al. (2007), Freitas (1994, 1995a, 1995b), Kubiak et al. (2015), Massarini & Freitas (2005), Parada et al. (2011), Stolz (2006).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Ctenomyidae, pp. 498-534 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 523-524, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6588177