Trinomys moojeni
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
Echimyidae
Trinomys
Trinomys moojeni

description: 19.
Moojen’s Spiny-rat
Trinomys moojeni
French: Rat-épineux de Moojen / German: Moojen-Atlantikstachelratte / Spanish: Rata espinosa de Moojen
Other common names: Moojen’s Atlantic Spiny-rat
Taxonomy. Proechimys moojeni Pessoa, de Oliveira & dos Reis, 1992,
“Mata do Dr. Daniel, Conceicao do Mato Dentro, Minas Gerais, Brazil; 19° 01°S, 43° 25°'W.”
Trinomys moojeni was originally placed in the genus Proechimys but transferred to Trinomys by M. C. Lara and colleagues in 2002. Monotypic.
Distribution. SE Brazil, S Espinhaco Mts in EC Minas Gerais State.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 151-180 mm, tail 144-172 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Moojen’s Spiny-rat is medium-sized compared with congeners;it is distinct by being much darker along mid-dorsal region, forming dark cape on middle of back that contrasts with much paler sides. Aristiforms on mid-back are smoky-gray at bases, have ocherous buff mid-zone, and are dark brown at tips. Lateral setiform hairs typically have four bands of color, drab-gray at bases followed by smoky-gray and ocherous buff, and terminating in black tips. Aristiforms are long (mean 20-4 mm), narrow (0-6 mm) at mid-dorsum, and shorter (mean 15-9 mm) and slightly narrowerlaterally (0-5 mm). Hairs on forefeet and hindfeet are white dorsally. Bicoloredtail is ¢.80% of head-body length, covered with short hairs. Skull is slender and of moderate size, averaging 50-2 mm in length. Incisive foramina are oval, long (c.40% of diastema), and wide posteriorly; septum is incomplete and almost formed by the premaxillae with a reduced maxillar part. Post-orbital processes of zygoma are well developed, with jugal and squamosal equal contributions. Auditory bullae are smooth and small. Upper molariform teeth have two primary folds; lower teeth also have two folds. Baculum is short than most other species of Trinomys (length 6:6 mm); it has slight dorso-ventral curvature, tapered lateral indentation near the midshaft;straight proximal end and paddle shaped, weakly-developed distal wings; and median trough is evident along dorsal surface of basal part. Karyotype is 2n = 56 FN = 106.
Habitat. Montane forest at border between Cerrado ecoregion and Atlantic Forest above elevations of 1000 m.
Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but Moojen’s Spiny-rat probably feeds on a variety of plant materials, including fruit and seeds, and insects.
Breeding. Evidence from one study suggests the lack of defined mating season of Moojen’s Spiny-rat.
Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Female Moojen’s Spiny-rats are philopatric; males disperse from their natal areas. Females are also thoughtto be territorial. Both sexes vary in numbers seasonally.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. Moojen'’s Spiny-rat has a small distribution and is only known from two localities. Populations continue to decline due to habitat degradation and loss; frequent fires are also a major threat. One of two known current localities of Moojen’s Spiny-rat is in a protected area.
Bibliography. Cordeiro & Talamoni (2006), Lara et al. (2002), Pesséa, de Oliveira & dos Reis (1992), Pesséa, Tavares, de Oliveira & Patton (2015).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Echimyidae, pp. 552-604 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 563, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6623649