Megalomys curazensis
Encyclopedia
Megalomys curazensis is a species
of rodent
from the Pleistocene
of the island of Curaçao
, off northwestern Venezuela
. It is a member of the genus Megalomys
, which also includes species from other islands of the Lesser Antilles
. It is known from abundant but fragmentary material found throughout the island.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of rodent
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....
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 the island of Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, off northwestern Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. It is a member of the genus Megalomys
Megalomys
Megalomys is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae, part of the tribe Oryzomyini. The genus contains four large rodents from various Caribbean islands, all of which are now extinct. The last species to survive was M...
, which also includes species from other islands of the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
. It is known from abundant but fragmentary material found throughout the island.
Literature cited
- Buisonjé, P.H. de. 1974. Neogene and Quaternary geology of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire. Uitgaven "Natuurwetenschappelijke Studiekring voor Suriname en de Nederlandse Antillen" 74:1–291.
- Hooijer, D.A. 1959. Fossil rodents from Curaçao and Bonaire. Studies on the Fauna of Curaçao and other Caribbean Islands 35:1–27.
- McFarlane, D.A. & Lundberg, J. 2002. A Middle Pleistocene age and biogeography for the extinct rodent Megalomys curazensis from Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. Caribbean Journal of Sciences 38(3-4):278-281.