Galea leucoblephara
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
Caviidae
Galea
Galea leucoblephara

description: 14.
Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy
Galea leucoblephara
French: Cobaye a lunettes / German: Tiefland-Wieselmeerschweinchen / Spanish: Cuy de dientes amarillos de tierras bajas
Taxonomy. Anoema leucoblephara Burmeister, 1861,
“Mendoza wie bei Tucuman [=Mendoza Province as in Tucuman Province,” Argentina. Restricted by |. Yepes in 1936 to “Mendoza, Argentina.”
This species now encompasses the entire lower elevation and higher latitude distribution of what was part of the former G. musteloides. Three subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
G.l.leucoblepharaBurmeister,1861—WArgentina,fromSCatamarcaProvinceSthroughLaRioja,SanJuan,Cordoba,SanLuis,andMendozaprovinces.
G.l.demissaThomas,1921—DryChacowoodlandsofC&SBolivia,WParaguay,andNArgentina(StoSantiagodelEsteroandCatamarcaprovinces).
G. l. littoralis Thomas, 1901 — S Argentina, from Mendoza and La Pampa provinces E to coastal Buenos Aires and S to Chubut provinces.
Descriptive notes. Head—body 198-235 mm, ear 18 mm, hindfoot 39 mm; weight 180-280 g. Greatest length of skull is 47 mm. Color of the Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy is olive to reddish on back and yellowish on flanks; venter is yellowish white. Eye rings are distinct and pure white.
Habitat. Arid to mesic grasslands.
Food and Feeding. The Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy is herbivorous, with a dependence on grasses.
Breeding. Gestation of c¢.53 days and average littersize of three young were reported for G. musteloides. Reproduction occurred year-round. Males reproduce at ¢.3 months and females slightly earlier at c.2 months. Females have two pairs of mammae, one inguinal and one abdominal.
Activity patterns. The Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy is diurnal and active year-round.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Male and female Lowland Yellowtoothed Cavies have linear hierarchies, but females are more socially tolerant, often huddling and allonursing. Home ranges of males are very large; female home ranges are only c.20% the size of male home ranges. Male home ranges therefore overlap many female home ranges. Males are very aggressive toward other males, including young males, but are less aggressive toward young females. Mating behavior is promiscuous, with 50-80% oflitters having multiple paternities. Males show no parentalcare.
Status and Conservation. The Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy is notclassified on The [UCN Red List because of recent revisions of Galea. Nevertheless, it will likely be classified as Least Concern because ofits relative wide distribution and presumably large population.
Bibliography. Adrian & Sachser (2011), Canevari & Vaccaro (2007), Dunnum (2015), Dunnum & SalazarBravo (2010b), Redford & Eisenberg (1992), Rood (1970, 1972), Woods & Kilpatrick (2005), Yepes (1936).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Caviidae, pp. 406-438 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 436, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6585510