Owl's spiny rat explained

Owl's spiny rat (Carterodon sulcidens) is a rodent species in the family Echimyidae found in Brazil. It is the only species in the genus Carterodon. Owl's spiny rat has evolved characteristics such as a heightened ability to dig in open grasslands during times of environmental change.^[1]

Phylogeny

The genus Carterodon is the sister group to the family Capromyidae (hutias). In turn, this clade shares evolutionary affinities with some genera of spiny rats belonging to the subfamily Euryzygomatomyinae.

Analyses of craniodental characters proposed that Carterodon may be associated with Clyomys and Euryzygomatomys.^{[2] [3]} However, molecular data suggest the polyphyly of this assemblage of fossorial genera.

Notes and References

1. Bezerra, Alexandra & Marinho-Filho, Jader & Carmignotto, Ana. (2011). A review of the distribution, morphology, and habit of the Owl’s Spiny Rat Carterodon sulcidens (Lund, 1841) (Rodentia: Echimyidae). Zoological studies. 50. 566-576.
2. Carvalho . Guilherme A. S. . Salles . Leandro O. . 2004-12-01 . Relationships among extant and fossil echimyids (Rodentia: Hystricognathi) . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 142 . 4 . 445–477 . 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00150.x . 0024-4082. free .
3. Candela . Adriana M. . Rasia . Luciano L. . 2012-02-01 . Tooth morphology of Echimyidae (Rodentia, Caviomorpha): homology assessments, fossils, and evolution . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 164 . 2 . 451–480 . 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00762.x . 0024-4082. free . 11336/189033 . free .