Ctenomys magellanicus Bennett 1836
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 magellanicus

description: 42.
Magellanic Tuco-tuco
Ctenomys magellanicus
French: Tuco-tuco de Magellan / German: Magellan-Kammratte / Spanish: Tuco tuco de Magallanes
Taxonomy. Ctenomys magellanicus Bennett, 1836,
“Port Gregory [= Bahia San Gre-| gorio], near eastern end of north side of Straits of Magellan, Chile.
Based on the biogeography, C. magellanicus was considered in the Patagonian group, but based on mtDNA,it belongs to the magellanicusspecies group. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 34 and 36 and FN = 64, and sperm is simple asymmetric. Five subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
C.m.magellanicusBennett,1836—SChile(MagallanesRegion)andSArgentina(SantaCruzProvince).
C.m.dickiOsgood,1943—RiescoI,MagallanesRegion,Chile.
C.m.fueginusPhilippi,1880—N,C&ETierradelFuego.
C.m.obscurusTexera,1975—SWTierradelFuegoinSofChileandArgentina.
C. m. osgoodiJ. A. Allen, 1903 — SW Argentina (Chubut and Santa Cruz provinces) to S Chile (Aysén Region).
Descriptive notes. Total length 267 mm (nominate magellanicus) and 304 cm (fueginus). No specific data are available for body weight. The Magellanic Tuco-tucois relatively large. It is mostly pale, upper parts are pale grizzled grayish buff, and under parts are light cinnamon buff in the nominate magellanicus and subspecies fueginus. Populations of osgoodi are much darker, brownish ocherous instead of grayish buff. Pelage of dicks is mixed blackish and buffy smoke gray on dorsal and ventral parts. Subspecies obscurus is homogeneously darker than other subspecies. Skull is particularly angular, with many sharp ridges and processes, especially in nominotypical specimens. Skulls offueginus, magellanicus, and osgoodi are similar; fueginus has slightly more swollen and bulbous auditory bullae, broader interorbital region, and broader rostral or antemolar part, while osgoodi has narrower auditory bullae that are compressed laterally. Skull of dicki is essentially as fueginus, except that auditory bullae are slightly smaller and shorter, and interorbital region is wide, as in the nominate magellanicus.
Habitat. Dense grass cover of the Patagonian steppe and sparsely wooded areas.
Food and Feeding. Diet of the Magellanic Tuco-tuco consists of roots of grasses and shrubs.
Breeding. There is no information available for this species.
Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Burrows of Magellanic Tuco-tucos are constructed 30 cm or more belowground.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List due to loss of habitat.
Bibliography. Cabrera (1961), Feito & Gallardo (1976), Gallardo (1979, 1991), Kiblisky & Reig (1965), Lizarralde et al. (2003), Ortells (1995), Osgood (1943), Reig & Kiblisky (1969), Texera (1975).
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 page 526, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6588177