A new species of the gopherGregorymys(Rodentia, Geomyidae) from the early Oligocene (Arikareean 1) of southern Mexico

Abstract

AbstractA new species of gopher,Gregorymys mixtecorumn. sp., is described from the Arikareean 1 (early Oligocene) of Oaxaca, southern Mexico. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that it is the sister species ofG.veloxikua, which was also recently described from southern Mexico. Both species were collected from sediments of the Chilapa Formation that crop out in northwestern Oaxaca.Gregorymys mixtecorumn. sp. andG.veloxikuashow differences in size and proportions that possibly reduced competition for resources, exploiting different microhabitats. Both Mexican species represent the oldest and the most southern records ofGregorymysin North America. The Mexican record ofGregorymyssuggests that at least some entoptychine rodents diversified in southern Mexico or Central America, and that Geomyidae has had a wide geographic distribution in North America since the early Oligocene.UUID:http://zoobank.org/0f4ad549-2f59-442b-87fa-5c9be0573ea4