Holochilus
Encyclopedia
Holochilus is a genus of semiaquatic rodent
s in the tribe Oryzomyini
of family Cricetidae
, sometimes called marsh rat
s. It contains three living species, Holochilus brasiliensis, Holochilus chacarius, and Holochilus sciureus, which are widely distributed in South America east of the Andes
, and a fourth species from the Pleistocene
of Bolivia, Holochilus primigenus
.
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s in the tribe Oryzomyini
Oryzomyini
Oryzomyini is a tribe of rodents in the subfamily Sigmodontinae of family Cricetidae. It includes about 120 species in about thirty genera, distributed from the eastern United States to the southernmost parts of South America, including many offshore islands...
of family Cricetidae
Cricetidae
The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, and New World rats and mice...
, sometimes called marsh rat
Marsh rat
Marsh rat can refer to several unrelated rodents:*Brachyuromys, two species from Madagascar;*Dasymys, about ten species from Africa;*Holochilus, four species from South America;...
s. It contains three living species, Holochilus brasiliensis, Holochilus chacarius, and Holochilus sciureus, which are widely distributed in South America east of the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, and a fourth species from the Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
of Bolivia, Holochilus primigenus
Holochilus primigenus
Holochilus primigenus is an extinct oryzomyine rodent known from Pleistocene deposits in Tarija Department, southeastern Bolivia. It is known from a number of isolated jaws and molars, which show that its molars were almost identical to those of the living Lundomys...
.