Abstract
The cuticle is the outermost of the three cellular layers of the mammalian hair. It comprises numerous keratinized scales, whose morphology, combined with other microscopic characteristics of the hair, confers characteristic signature traits to various different species. This study aimed to analyze whether the cuticular patterns of the aristiform hair had any signature implications for the two species of the genus Abrawayaomys Cunha & Cruz, 1979. We identified the cuticular profiles of A. ruschi and A. chebezi. Both species have similar hair pattern. The base of the hair shows "irregular waved" scales with smooth and continuous edges, and the apex showed "transversal waved" small-sized scales with continuous and ornamented edges. The middle portion of the hair exhibits different cuticular patterns on different sides of a single hair follicle: "transversal waved" on the dorsal side and "narrow losangled" on the ventral side. This distribution pattern of the cuticular scales is an unprecedented record for any mammal, and it is an important generic feature that allows the identification of single samples, such as those found in predators' gastrointestinal contents. The species in question are considered rare due to the restricted number of specimens deposited in scientific collections. Our findings may contribute to expanding the species' geographic range by making it possible to identify it in various situations. These results highlight the relevance of studies pertaining the identification of the micromorphology of the aristiform hair, which can be used as a tool to accurately identify rodents.
Highlights
A hair is a filamentous epidermal outgrowth characteristic of mammals (POUGH et al 2008)
The cuticular scales and their diversity of forms have been the subject of many studies (BENEDICT 1957, MOORE et al 1983, BRUNNER & COMMAN 1974, QUADROS & MONTEIRO-FILHO 2006a)
Focusing on the paucity of knowledge about the characteristic features of hair, we conducted this study in order to determine whether cuticular patterns of aristiform hairs of two species of Abrawayaomys Cunha & Cruz, 1979 are diagnostic features
Summary
A hair is a filamentous epidermal outgrowth characteristic of mammals (POUGH et al 2008). Focusing on the paucity of knowledge about the characteristic features of hair, we conducted this study in order to determine whether cuticular patterns of aristiform hairs of two species of Abrawayaomys Cunha & Cruz, 1979 are diagnostic features. We analyzed 75 aristiform hairs from A. ruschii collected from fifteen specimens that were deposited into the mammal collections of the Museu de Zoologia João Moojen at the Universidade Federal de Viçosa (MZUFV – 3562, 3565, 3569), Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP – 057R, 058R, 059R, 206R, 326R), Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais (MZPUC/MG – 1874, 1971, 2163, 2157, 2282) and Museu Nacio-
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