Galea musteloides Meyen 1833
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 musteloides

description: 12.
Highland Yellow-toothed Cavy
Galea musteloides
French: Cobaye belette / German: \Wieselmeerschweinchen / Spanish: Cuy de montana
Other common names: Common Yellow-toothed Cavy
Taxonomy. Galea musteloides Meyen, 1833,
“auf dem Passe von Tacna nach dem Alpensee von Titicaca [= on the pass of Tacna to the alpine lake of Titicaca],” Peru.
Much published data on G. musteloides is actually from G. leucoblephara based on a revision of Galea by J. L. Dunnum and J. Salazar-Bravo in 2010. The “Muenster Yellow-toothed Cavy,” C. monasteriensis, is considered here a synonym of G. musteloides boliviensis. Three subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
G.m.musteloidesMeyen,1833—AndeanAltiplano,inSEPeru,WBolivia,andNChile.
G.m.aucepsThomas,1911—highlandareasSofLakeTiticacainSEPeru(PunoDepartment)andWBolivia(LaPazDepartment).
G. m. boliviensis Waterhouse, 1848 — E Bolivian Altiplano.
Descriptive notes. There are no specific data available, but external measurements are likely similar to the Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy (G. leucoblephara). Highland Yellowtoothed Cavies are characterized by brownish fur, with yellowish to olive dorsal tinge. Venteris white; dorsal and ventral colors are distinctly demarcated. Ears have covers of yellowish brown hairs—a characteristic that varies among subspecies.
Habitat. High-elevation grasslands in the central Andes. Highland Yellow-Toothed Cavies either build burrows or occupy abandoned burrows of tuco-tucos (Ctenomys, Ctenomyidae).
Food and Feeding. There is no information available forthis species.
Breeding. Gestation is ¢.55 days (50-58). Litter sizes are 1-7 young; neonates weigh c.40 g at birth.
Activity patterns. The Highland Yellow-toothed Cavy is diurnal and active year-round.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Much ofthe literature on the Highland Yellow-Toothed Cavy reports it to be promiscuous, but these studies were actually conducted on the Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy. Social behavior of the Highland Yellow-toothed Cavy was studied as the “Muenster Yellow-toothed Cavy,” now a synonym of the subspecies boliviensis. Studies on a captive colony of the Highland Yellow-toothed Cavy suggest that it is monogamous. Unfamiliar individuals are extremely aggressive toward each other, but established pairs showed no aggression, even when separated and reunited. This is a relatively rare example of monogamy in mammals, as also occurs in the Patagonian Mara (Dolichotis patagonum).
Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List (as G. monasteriensis, now one of three subspecies, boliviensis, of the Highland Yellow-Toothed Cavy). The current IUCN assessment applies more correctly to the broadly distributed Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy (G. leucoblephara). The overall conservation status of the Highland Yellow-toothed Cavy needs to be reassessed.
Bibliography. Adrian & Sachser (2011), Canevari & Vaccaro (2007), Dunnum (2015), Dunnum & Salazar-Bravo (2010b), Redford & Eisenberg (1992), Woods & Kilpatrick (2005).
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 pages 435-436, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6585510