Ungual tuft
Encyclopedia
In mammal
s, ungual tufts are tufts of hairs at the base of claws of the fore- and hindfeet. Their presence has been used as a character in cladistic
studies of Cricetidae
.
Oryzomyini
("rice rats") normally have ungual tufts, but they may be reduced or absent in semiaquatic species (adapted to life in the water). Lundomys molitor, Nectomys apicalis, the marsh rice rat
(Oryzomys palustris), and species of Holochilus
lack ungual tufts on their forefeet. On the hindfeet, most species have well-developed ungual tufts only on the second to fifth toes, but Sooretamys angouya and Eremoryzomys polius also have thick tufts on the first toe. Pseudoryzomys simplex, Mindomys hammondi, Nectomys squamipes, Sigmodontomys alfari, Oryzomys couesi, the marsh rice rat, and species of Melanomys
have sparse ungual tufts only, and Lundomys molitor, Nectomys apicalis, Sigmodontomys aphrastus, and species of Holochilus have very reduced tufts or lack them entirely.
Among other South American cricetids, Abrothrix lanosus has white ungual tufts that are shorter than the claws. Akodon paranaensis has long ungual tufts. Calomys cerqueirai
has silvery tufts on the second through fifth digits of the forefeet and all digits of the hindfeet. Abrawayaomys has long, dense ungual tufts. The Tylomyinae
are characterized by the presence of ungual tufts on their hindfeet.
White ungual tufts are also present in the Philippine murine
genus Batomys
. B. hamiguitan
and B. russatus have short tips, not extending to the tips of the claws, but those of B. granti and B. salomonseni have tufts longer than the claws. The Malagasy Monticolomys
has long ungual tufts, extending beyond the claws, whereas the related Macrotarsomys
has shorter tufts. The Brazilian spiny rat Phyllomys sulinus has long, light gray ungual tufts.
The tenrec Microgale jobihely has long, dark brown ungual tufts. The opossum Monodelphis handleyi has short ungual tufts.
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s, ungual tufts are tufts of hairs at the base of claws of the fore- and hindfeet. Their presence has been used as a character in cladistic
Cladistics
Cladistics is a method of classifying species of organisms into groups called clades, which consist of an ancestor organism and all its descendants . For example, birds, dinosaurs, crocodiles, and all descendants of their most recent common ancestor form a clade...
studies of 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...
.
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...
("rice rats") normally have ungual tufts, but they may be reduced or absent in semiaquatic species (adapted to life in the water). Lundomys molitor, Nectomys apicalis, the marsh rice rat
Marsh Rice Rat
The marsh rice rat is a semiaquatic North American rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found mostly in the eastern and southern United States, from New Jersey and Kansas south to Florida and northeasternmost Tamaulipas, Mexico; its range previously extended further west and north, where it may...
(Oryzomys palustris), and species of Holochilus
Holochilus
Holochilus is a genus of semiaquatic rodents in the tribe Oryzomyini of family Cricetidae, sometimes called marsh rats. 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...
lack ungual tufts on their forefeet. On the hindfeet, most species have well-developed ungual tufts only on the second to fifth toes, but Sooretamys angouya and Eremoryzomys polius also have thick tufts on the first toe. Pseudoryzomys simplex, Mindomys hammondi, Nectomys squamipes, Sigmodontomys alfari, Oryzomys couesi, the marsh rice rat, and species of Melanomys
Melanomys
Melanomys is a genus of rodent in the tribe Oryzomyini of family Cricetidae, which is distributed in northern South America and adjacent Central America. It contains three species, two of which—Melanomys robustulus and Melanomys zunigae—have limited distributions...
have sparse ungual tufts only, and Lundomys molitor, Nectomys apicalis, Sigmodontomys aphrastus, and species of Holochilus have very reduced tufts or lack them entirely.
Among other South American cricetids, Abrothrix lanosus has white ungual tufts that are shorter than the claws. Akodon paranaensis has long ungual tufts. Calomys cerqueirai
Calomys cerqueirai
Calomys cerqueirai is a species of rodent in the genus Calomys from southeastern Brazil. Distinct from other Calomys in its karyotype and characters of the fur, it is known only from two places in Minas Gerais...
has silvery tufts on the second through fifth digits of the forefeet and all digits of the hindfeet. Abrawayaomys has long, dense ungual tufts. The Tylomyinae
Tylomyinae
The subfamily Tylomyinae consists of several species of New World rats and mice including the vesper and climbing rats. They are not as well known as their relatives in the subfamilies Sigmodontinae and Neotominae...
are characterized by the presence of ungual tufts on their hindfeet.
White ungual tufts are also present in the Philippine murine
Murinae
The Old World rats and mice, part of the subfamily Murinae in the family Muridae, comprise at least 519 species. This subfamily is larger than all mammal families except the Cricetidae and Muridae, and is larger than all mammal orders except the bats and the remainder of the...
genus Batomys
Batomys
Batomys is a genus of rodent from the Philippines.-Species:Genus Batomys - Luzon and Mindanao forest rats*Large-toothed Hairy-tailed Rat, Batomys dentatus*Luzon Hairy-tailed Rat, Batomys granti...
. B. hamiguitan
Batomys hamiguitan
The Hamiguitan Hairy-tailed Rat, Batomys hamiguitan, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.It is found only in Philippines. is a yellow-brown animal with a long furry tail, weighs about 175 grams, and is related to several other species known in Central Mindanao, Dinagat Island and Luzon...
and B. russatus have short tips, not extending to the tips of the claws, but those of B. granti and B. salomonseni have tufts longer than the claws. The Malagasy Monticolomys
Monticolomys
Monticolomys is a genus of rodents within the subfamily Nesomyinae of the family Nesomyidae, and is closely related to Macrotarsomys. The only species, Monticolomys koopmani, also known as the Malagasy Mountain Mouse or Koopman's Montane Voalavo, is found in the highlands of eastern Madagascar...
has long ungual tufts, extending beyond the claws, whereas the related Macrotarsomys
Macrotarsomys
Macrotarsomys is a genus of rodent in the family Nesomyidae.It contains the following species:Genus Macrotarsomys - Big-footed mice*Bastard Big-Footed Mouse, Macrotarsomys bastardi Milne-Edwards and G. Grandidier, 1898...
has shorter tufts. The Brazilian spiny rat Phyllomys sulinus has long, light gray ungual tufts.
The tenrec Microgale jobihely has long, dark brown ungual tufts. The opossum Monodelphis handleyi has short ungual tufts.
Literature cited
- Balete, D.S., Heaney, L.R., Rickart, E.A., Quidlat, R.S. and Ibanez, J.C. 2008. A new species of Batomys (Mammalia: Muridae) from eastern Mindanao Island, Philippines. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 121(4):411–428.
- Bonvicino, C.R., de Oliveira, J.A. and Gentile, R. 2010. A new species of Calomys (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) from southeastern Brazil. Zootaxa 2336:19–35.
- Carleton, M.D. and Goodman, S.M. 1996. Systematic studies of Madagascar's endemic rodents (Muroidea: Nesomyinae): a new genus and species from the central highlands. Fieldiana Zoology 85:231–256.
- Christoff, A.U., Fagundes, V., Sbalqueiro, I.J., Mattevi, M.S. and Yonenaga-Yassuda, Y. 2000. Description of a new species of Akodon (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) from southern Brazil. Journal of Mammalogy 81(3):838–851.
- Feijoo, M., D'Elía, G., Pardiñas, U.F.J. and Lessa, E.P. 2010. Systematics of the southern Patagonian-Fueguian endemic Abrothrix lanosus (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae): Phylogenetic position, karyotypic and morphological data (subscription required). Mammalian Biology 75:122–137.
- Goodman, S.M., Raxworthy, C.J., Maminirina, C.P. and Olson, L.E. 2006. A new species of shrew tenrec (Microgale jobihely) from northern Madagascar. Journal of Zoology 270:384–398.
- Leite, Y.L.R., Christoff, A.U. and Fagundes, V. 2008. A new species of Atlantic Forest tree rat, genus Phyllomys (Rodentia, Echimyidae) from southern Brazil. Journal of Mammalogy 89:845–851.
- Musser, G.G. and Carleton, M.D. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. Pp. 894–1531 in Wilson, D.E. and Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference. 3rd ed. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols., 2142 pp. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0
- Pardiñas, U.F.J., Teta, P. and D'Elía, G. 2009. Taxonomy and distribution of Abrawayaomys (Rodentia: Cricetidae), an Atlantic Forest endemic with the description of a new species. Zootaxa 2128:39–60.
- Solari, S. 2007. New species of Monodelphis (Didelphimorphia: Didelphidae) from Peru, with notes on M. adusta (Thomas, 1897). Journal of Mammalogy 88:319–329.
- Weksler, M. 2006. Phylogenetic relationships of oryzomyine rodents (Muroidea: Sigmodontinae): separate and combined analyses of morphological and molecular data. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 296:1–149.