Ctenomys rionegrensis (Rio Negro tuco-tuco) | INFORMATION

Scientific Classification

Rank	Scientific Name
Kingdom	Animalia animals
Phylum	Chordata chordates
Subphylum	Vertebrata vertebrates
Class	Mammalia mammals
Order	Rodentia rodents
Family	Ctenomyidae tuco-tucos
Genus	Ctenomys tuco-tucos
Species	Ctenomys rionegrensis Rio Negro tuco-tuco

By Cristian Chagas

Geographic Range

Rio Negro tuco-tucos are found in four populations: one occupies a small region of western Uruguay in the Department of Rio Negro, and the remaining three are found in the Entre Rios Province in eastern Argentina.

Biogeographic Regions
neotropical
- native

Habitat

Rio Negro tuco-tucos generally inhabit sand dunes and areas with sandy soils near the mouth of the Rio Uruguay, along the Rio Parana, and near the Rio Negro.

Habitat Regions
tropical
terrestrial

Other Habitat Features
riparian

Physical Description

Rio Negro tuco-tucos are rodents with short necks, large heads with reduced ears, and short forelimbs with large claws. They are well suited for a fossorial lifestyle. Adults generally weigh between 100 and 700 grams and grow to 15 to 25 centimeters from snout to tail. The tail is hairless and stiff. Three distinct fur colors are found among these tuco-tucos: melanic (black), agouti (light and dark banded hairs with black tips), and dark-backed. How this variation arose genetically is being investigated. The robust incisors are orange on the anterior surface and are ever-growing. Rio Negro tuco-tucos can be distinguished from other tuco-tucos by the male phallus which has a “trilobed bacular tip and a pair of spikes within the intromittent sac.” Resting metabolic rates have not been calculated, but the basal metabolic rate of a similar species ( Ctenomys australis ) is around 0.343±0.053 liters of oxygen per hour.

Other Physical Features
endothermic
homoiothermic
bilateral symmetry

Reproduction

Little is known about the mating system of Rio Negro tuco-tucos. Presumably, it is similar to Pearson's tuco-tucos, Ctenomys pearsoni , which have been better studied. Courtship rituals involve aggressive displays between males and chemical and auditory stimulation. Rio Negro tuco-tucos sing during courtship. Males spend time with females before copulating, as females are induced ovulators.

Mating System
polygynous

The breeding season of Rio Negro tuco-tucos occurs during the late austral autumn. In a study by Tassino and Passos (2009), pregnant females were observed during the beginning of austral winter and lactating females were observed during the austral spring. Females generally bear 2 to 4 offspring after gestating for 100 days and lactate for about two months. Average time to weaning and average birth mass is unknown. In Ctenomys talarum average time to weaning is around 30 days from birth and the birth mass is 46.0 ± 16.43g.

Key Reproductive Features
iteroparous
seasonal breeding
gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
sexual
induced ovulation
viviparous

After copulation, males and females separate, with females taking care of the young until they become independent.

Parental Investment
altricial
female parental care
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
- protecting
  - female
pre-hatching/birth
- provisioning
  - female
- protecting
  - female
pre-weaning/fledging
- provisioning
  - female
- protecting
  - female

Lifespan/Longevity

Little is known about the lifespan of Rio Negro tuco-tucos in captivity, but the expected lifespan in the wild is about 3 years.

Behavior

Rio Negro tuco-tucos are solitary and territorial, socializing only to mate. They are semi-fossorial, residing in burrows which they dig with their incisors.

Key Behaviors
fossorial
diurnal
motile
sedentary
daily torpor
solitary
territorial

Home Range

Little is known regarding the home range of Rio Negro tuco-tucos. Because these are fossorial animals, they presumably do not venture far from their burrows.

Communication and Perception

Rio Negro tuco-tucos signal to each other over long distances by "singing." The name "tuco-tuco" comes from the sound these animals make. A recording of their vocalizations can be found here: http://eto.fcien.edu.uy/gaboeng.htm . These animals communicate to demarcate territory and to find each other during the mating season.

Communication Channels
tactile
acoustic
chemical

Perception Channels
visual
tactile
acoustic
vibrations
chemical

Food Habits

Rio Negro tuco-tucos are herbivorous, primarily eating grasses, roots, and shoots. Like rabbits, they are coprophagous.

Primary Diet
herbivore
- folivore

Plant Foods
leaves
roots and tubers

Other Foods
dung

Predation

The dull coat color of Rio Negro tuco-tucos is an example of cryptic coloration, as it would make them difficult to spot on a riverbank. Some predators include owls, foxes, armadillos, grison, and some snakes.

Anti-predator Adaptations
cryptic

Ecosystem Roles

Little is known about the subtleties of the ecological role of Rio Negro tuco-tucos. Birds of prey, large snakes, and several carnivorous mammals prey on this rodent, and presumably some parasites would use them as hosts, although this is not well-studied. Rio Negro tuco-tucos are shy and solitary and are not commensals with humans.

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Rio Negro tuco-tucos are not known to benefit humans, but because three fur phenotypes exist within relatively small isolated populations and because of profound differentiation within the species, they are currently being intensely studied by evolutionary biologists.

Positive Impacts
research and education

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

There are no known adverse effects of Rio Negro tuco-tucos on humans.

Conservation Status

Rio Negro tuco-tucos are listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List because "its extent of occurrence is less than 5,000 km², its area of occupancy is less than 500 km², its distribution is severely fragmented, there are only four populations and there is continuing decline in the extent and quality of its habitat. It may be locally abundant if habitat is available but habitat is being quickly destroyed."

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Cristian Chagas (author), Michigan State University, Barbara Lundrigan (editor), Michigan State University, Tanya Dewey (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

Neotropical

living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.

World Map

native range: the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.

tropical: the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.

terrestrial: Living on the ground.

desert or dunes: in deserts low (less than 30 cm per year) and unpredictable rainfall results in landscapes dominated by plants and animals adapted to aridity. Vegetation is typically sparse, though spectacular blooms may occur following rain. Deserts can be cold or warm and daily temperates typically fluctuate. In dune areas vegetation is also sparse and conditions are dry. This is because sand does not hold water well so little is available to plants. In dunes near seas and oceans this is compounded by the influence of salt in the air and soil. Salt limits the ability of plants to take up water through their roots.

tropical savanna and grassland: A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.

savanna: A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.

temperate grassland: A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.

riparian: Referring to something living or located adjacent to a waterbody (usually, but not always, a river or stream).

endothermic: animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.

bilateral symmetry: having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.

polygynous: having more than one female as a mate at one time

iteroparous: offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).

seasonal breeding: breeding is confined to a particular season

sexual: reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female

induced ovulation: ovulation is stimulated by the act of copulation (does not occur spontaneously)

viviparous: reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.

altricial: young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.

female parental care: parental care is carried out by females

fossorial: Referring to a burrowing life-style or behavior, specialized for digging or burrowing.

diurnal

active during the day, 2. lasting for one day.

motile: having the capacity to move from one place to another.

sedentary: remains in the same area

solitary: lives alone

territorial: defends an area within the home range, occupied by a single animals or group of animals of the same species and held through overt defense, display, or advertisement

tactile: uses touch to communicate

acoustic: uses sound to communicate

chemical: uses smells or other chemicals to communicate

visual: uses sight to communicate

tactile: uses touch to communicate

acoustic: uses sound to communicate

vibrations: movements of a hard surface that are produced by animals as signals to others

chemical: uses smells or other chemicals to communicate

cryptic: having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.

herbivore: An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.

folivore: an animal that mainly eats leaves.

References

Altuna, C., G. Francescoli, G. Izquierdo. 1991. Copulatory Pattern of Ctenomys pearsoni (Rodentia, Octodontidae) from Balneario Solís, Uruguay. Mammalia , 55: 214.

Altuna, C., E. Lessa. 1985. Penial Morphology in Uruguayan Species of Ctenomys (Rodentia; Octodontidae). Journal of Mammalogy , 66:3: 483-488.

Bidau, C., E. Lessa, R. Ojeda. 2008. " Ctenomys rionegrensis . In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.1" (On-line). Accessed March 15, 2010 at www.iucnredlist.org .

D'Anatro, A., E. Lessa. 2006. Geometric morphometric analysis of geographic variation in the Río Negro tuco-tuco, Ctenomys rionegrensis (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae). Mammalian Biology , 71:5: 288-298.

Francescoli, G., C. Altuna. 1998. Vibrational Communication in Subterranean Rodents: The Possible Origin of Different Strategies. Evolution of Communication , 2: 217.

Francescoli, G. 1999. A Preliminary Report on the Acoustic Communication in Uruguayan Ctenomys (Rodentia, Octodontidae): Basic Song Types. Bioacoustics , 10: 203.

Lacey, E., J. Patton, G. Cameron. 2000. Life Underground . Chicago: Chicago University Press.

Luna, F., C. Antenucci, F. Bozinovic. 2009. Comparative Energetics of the Subterranean Ctenomys Rodents: Breaking Patterns. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology , 82/3: 226-235.

Tassino, B., C. Passos. 2010. Reproductive Biology of Rio Negro tuco-tuco, Ctenomys rionegrensis (Rodentia: Octodontidae). Mammalian Biology , 75:13: 253-260.

Wlasiuk, G., J. Garza, E. Lessa. 2003. Genetic And Geographic Differentiation In The Rio Negro Tuco-Tuco ( Ctenomys rionegrensis ): Inferring The Roles Of Migration And Drift From Multiple Genetic Markers. Evolution , 57:4: 913-926.

Zenuto, R., C. Antinuchi, C. Busch. 2002. Bioenergetics of Reproduction and Pup Development in a Subterranean Rodent. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology , 75: 469-478.

2010. "Argentina Land Sales" (On-line). Accessed March 15, 2010 at http://www.argentinalandsales.com/pentrerios.htm .

2005. "Gabriel Francescoli" (On-line). Accessed March 10, 2010 at http://eto.fcien.edu.uy/gaboeng.htm .

Net Industries. 2010. "Tuco-Tucos: Ctenomyidae - Behavior And Reproduction" (On-line). Accessed March 11, 2010 at http://animals.jrank.org/pages/3473/Tuco-Tucos-Ctenomyidae-BEHAVIOR-REPRODUCTION.html .