''Chelemys delfini'', also known as the Magellanic long-clawed akodont,Musser and Carleton, 2005, p. 1109 is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

in the genus ''

Chelemys ''Chelemys'' is a genus of South American rodents in the tribe Abrotrichini of family Cricetidae. Three species—''Chelemys delfini'', '' Chelemys macronyx'', and '' Chelemys megalonyx''—are known, all found in central and southern Chile and Ar ...

'' of family

Cricetidae The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New World rats and mice. At over 870 species, it is either the largest or second-largest family ...

. It is endemic to the areas of

Punta Arenas Punta Arenas (, historically known as Sandy Point in English) is the capital List of cities in Chile, city of Chile's southernmost Regions of Chile, region, Magallanes Region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. Although officially renamed as ...

and

Torres del Paine National Park Torres del Paine National Park () is a national park encompassing mountains, glaciers, lakes, and rivers in southern Chilean Patagonia. The Cordillera del Paine is the park's centerpiece. It lies in a transition area between the Magellanic subpo ...

in southern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, where it lives in the

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

and scrub of the Magellanic steppe. It has sometimes been considered a subspecies of '' C. megalonyx''.

References

Literature cited

*D'Elia, G. and Pardinas, U. 2008. . In IUCN. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2.
www.iucnredlist.org
. Downloaded on January 12, 2010. * Mammals of Chile Chelemys Mammals described in 1905 {{Sigmodontinae-stub