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Carterodontinae
Owl's spiny rat (''Carterodon sulcidens'') is a rodent species in the family Echimyidae found in Brazil. It is the only species in the genus ''Carterodon''. Owl's spiny rat has evolved characteristics such as a heightened ability to dig in open grasslands during times of environmental change.Bezerra, Alexandra & Marinho-Filho, Jader & Carmignotto, Ana. (2011). A review of the distribution, morphology, and habit of the Owl’s Spiny Rat Carterodon sulcidens (Lund, 1841) (Rodentia: Echimyidae). Zoological studies. 50. 566-576. Phylogeny The genus ''Carterodon'' is the sister group to the family Capromyidae (hutias). In turn, this clade shares evolutionary affinities with some genera of spiny rats belonging to the subfamily Euryzygomatomyinae. Analyses of craniodental characters proposed that ''Carterodon'' may be associated with '' Clyomys'' and '' Euryzygomatomys''. However, molecular data suggest the polyphyly A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Echimyidae
Echimyidae is the family of neotropical spiny rats and their fossil relatives. This is the most species-rich family of hystricognath rodents. It is probably also the most ecologically diverse, with members ranging from fully arboreal to terrestrial to fossorial to semiaquatic habits. They presently exist mainly in South America; three members of the family also range into Central America, and the hutias are found in the West Indies in the Caribbean. Species of the extinct subfamily Heteropsomyinae formerly lived on Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico in the Antilles. Characteristics In general form, most spiny rats resemble rats, although they are more closely related to guinea pigs and chinchillas. Most species have stiff, pointed hairs, or Spine (zoology), spines, that presumably serve for protection from predators. Many echimyids can Autotomy, break off their tails when attacked. This action may confuse predators long enough for the spiny rat to escape. Unlike the tai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in 2009 by the International Union of Geological Sciences, the cutoff of the Pleistocene and the preceding Pliocene was regarded as being 1.806 million years Before Present (BP). Publications from earlier years may use either definition of the period. The end of the Pleistocene corresponds with the end of the last glacial period and also with the end of the Paleolithic age used in archaeology. The name is a combination of Ancient Greek () 'most' and (; Latinized as ) 'new'. The aridification and cooling trends of the preceding Neogene were continued in the Pleistocene. The climate was strongly variable depending on the glacial cycle, oscillating between cold Glacial period, glacial periods and warmer Interglacial, int ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Robert Waterhouse
George Robert Waterhouse (6 March 1810 – 21 January 1888) was an English natural history, naturalist. He was a keeper at the department of geology and later curator of the Zoological Society of London's museum. Early life George was born in Somers Town to James Edward Waterhouse and Mary Newman. His father was a solicitor's clerk and an amateur entomologist. He was the brother of Frederick George Waterhouse, who also became a zoologist. George went to school at Koekelberg, near Brussels. He returned to England in 1824 and worked as an apprentice to an architect. Part of the work was in designing the garden of Charles Knight in the Vale of Health, Hampstead and the ornamentation for St. Dunstan's Church. Natural history George became interested in entomology through his father and he founded the Entomological Society of London along with Frederick William Hope in 1833 with himself as honorary curator. He became its president in 1849–50. He wrote articles for Knight's ''P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Wilhelm Lund
Peter Wilhelm Lund (14 June 1801 – 25 May 1880) was a Danish Brazilian paleontologist, zoologist, and archeology, archeologist. He spent most of his life working and living in Brazil. He is considered the father of Brazilian paleontology as well as archaeology. Lund was the first to describe dozens of species of Pleistocene megafauna, including the saber-toothed cat ''Smilodon populator''. He also made the then ground-breaking discovery that humans co-existed with long-extinct animal species, something which possibly prompted him to terminate his scientific work. His comprehensive collections are today found at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, Danish Natural History Museum in Copenhagen. Early life and education Peter Wilhelm Lund was born into a wealthy family in Copenhagen. He showed an early interest in natural sciences and was working towards a career in medicine, but following the death of his father, his passion for natural history prompted him instead to opt for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population, seventh-largest by population, with over 212 million people. The country is a federation composed of 26 Federative units of Brazil, states and a Federal District (Brazil), Federal District, which hosts the capital, Brasília. List of cities in Brazil by population, Its most populous city is São Paulo, followed by Rio de Janeiro. Brazil has the most Portuguese-speaking countries, Portuguese speakers in the world and is the only country in the Americas where Portuguese language, Portuguese is an Portuguese-speaking world, official language. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a Coastline of Brazil, coastline of . Covering roughly half of South America's land area, it Borders of Brazil, borders all other countries and ter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monotypic Taxon
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of Genus, genera, the term "unispecific" or "monospecific" is sometimes preferred. In botanical nomenclature, a monotypic genus is a genus in the special case where a genus and a single species are simultaneously described. Theoretical implications Monotypic taxa present several important theoretical challenges in biological classification. One key issue is known as "Gregg's Paradox": if a single species is the only member of multiple hierarchical levels (for example, being the only species in its genus, which is the only genus in its family), then each level needs a distinct definition to maintain logical structure. Otherwise, the different taxonomic ranks become effectively identical, which creates problems for organizing biological diversity in a hierarchical o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus. :E.g. ''Panthera leo'' (lion) and ''Panthera onca'' (jaguar) are two species within the genus ''Panthera''. ''Panthera'' is a genus within the family Felidae. The composition of a genus is determined by taxonomy (biology), taxonomists. The standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. There are some general practices used, however, including the idea that a newly defined genus should fulfill these three criteria to be descriptively useful: # monophyly – all descendants of an ancestral taxon are grouped together (i.e. Phylogeneti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Euryzygomatomyinae
Euryzygomatinae is a subfamily of rodents, proposed in 2017, and containing three extant genera of spiny Echimyidae: '' Clyomys'', '' Euryzygomatomys'', and '' Trinomys''. Members of this echimyid subfamily all share an origin in the eastern part of Brazil, close to the Atlantic Forest. Morpho-anatomy The teeth of Euryzygomatomyines are characterized by several features: * elongate lower and upper incisor roots ; * five lophids on the lower deciduous premolars 4 ; * either four lophids in ''Trinomys'', or three lophids in ''Clyomys'' and ''Euryzygomatomys'', on the lower molars 1 ; * well-connected lophs on the cheek teeth ; * three molar roots anchoring the upper molars. Their zygomatic arch is reduced with a slightly concave dorsal margin, and the jugal bone is ventrally expanded with much reduced, scarcely salient inferior process. Molecular signatures At the protein level, one amino acid replacement from leucine to proline yields a shared derived character state that i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clyomys
''Clyomys'' is a South American rodent genus in the family Echimyidae. It contains two species, found in tropical savannas and grasslands from circa to elevation in central Brazil and eastern Paraguay. The term ''Clyomys'' derives from the two ancient greek words (, or ''clyo''), meaning "to listen, to prick up one's ears", and (), meaning "mouse, rat". The ''Clyomys '' species are as follows: * Broad-headed spiny rat (''Clyomys laticeps'') * † ''Clyomys riograndensis'' Phylogeny ''Clyomys'' is the sister genus to ''Euryzygomatomys''. Both taxa are closely related to the genus ''Trinomys''. In turn, these three genera — forming the clade of Euryzygomatomyinae — share phylogenetic affinities with a clade containing '' Carterodon'' and members of the family Capromyidae. Analyses of craniodental characters proposed that ''Clyomys'' — and also ''Euryzygomatomys'' — may be associated with ''Carterodon''. However, molecular data suggest the polyphyly A polyphy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Euryzygomatomys
''Euryzygomatomys'' is a genus of South American rodents, commonly called guiaras, in the family Echimyidae. It contains two extant and one fossil species, found in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. They are as follows: * Brandt's guiara (''Euryzygomatomys guiara'') * Fischer's guiara (''Euryzygomatomys spinosus'') * †'' Euryzygomatomys hoffstetteri'' - Tarija Formation, BoliviaTarija at .org Etymology The genus name ''Euryzygomatomys'' derives from the three words (, or ''eury''), meaning "wide, or which extends in width", o ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polyphyly
A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of convergent evolution. The arrangement of the members of a polyphyletic group is called a polyphyly .. ource for pronunciation./ref> It is contrasted with monophyly and paraphyly. For example, the biological characteristic of warm-bloodedness evolved separately in the ancestors of mammals and the ancestors of birds; "warm-blooded animals" is therefore a polyphyletic grouping. Other examples of polyphyletic groups are algae, C4 photosynthetic plants, and edentates. Many taxonomists aim to avoid homoplasies in grouping taxa together, with a goal to identify and eliminate groups that are found to be polyphyletic. This is often the stimulus for major revisions of the classification schemes. Researchers concerned m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
