13.

Southern Highland Yellow-toothed Cavy

Galea comes

French: Cobaye du Jujuy / German: Sidliches Wieselmeerschweinchen / Spanish: Cuy de dientes amarillos meridional

Taxonomy. Galea comes Thomas, 1919,

“Maimara, 2230 m,” Jujuy, Argentina.

Traditionally, G. comes was included as a form of G. musteloides, but J. L.. Dunnum and J. Salazar-Bravo in 2010 elevated it to full species status. Monotypic.

Distribution. Andes of S Bolivia (Tarija Department) and N Argentina (Jujuy Province).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 243 mm, ear 22 mm, hindfoot 39 mm (all from the holotype). No specific data are available for body weight, but it is likely very similar to that of the Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy (G. leucoblephara). Greatest length of skull is 54 mm. Dorsum of Southern Highland Yellow-toothed Cavy is somewhat mottled, a mix of olive, brown, and tan. Venteris yellow-white. Dorsal and ventral colors are not sharply distinct. Ears are covered with orange hairs, and eye rings are yellow.

Habitat. Rough brambly ground at high elevation in the Andes. Southern Highland Yellow-toothed Cavies might use burrow of tuco-tucos (Ctenomys, Ctenomyidae).

Food and Feeding. There is no information available for this species.

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. There is no specific information for this species, but Southern Highland Yellow-toothed Cavies might form colonies of many individuals.

Status and Conservation. The Southern Highland Yellow-toothed Cavy has not yet been assessed as a distinct species on The IUCN Red List. At the time of the last [UCN assessment, the Southern Highland Yellow-toothed Cavy was included as a form of G. musteloides, but it was not named or formally assessed as a subspecies.

Bibliography. Dunnum (2015), Dunnum & Salazar-Bravo (2010b).