Rodent Fauna Research Articles

The rodent fauna from Prat de Cest (Aude, France) and its biochronological implications for the Early Miocene

The new Prat de Cest locality (Narbonne-Sigean Basin, Aude, France) provides a rodent fauna composed of Pseudocricetodon thaleri, Simplomys aff. aljaphi, Vasseuromys cf. bergasensis, Plesiosminthus myarion and Rhodanomys occitanensis nov. sp. Eomyidae account for more than 78% of the material collected and reflect a humid and forested environment. The presence of Plesiosminthus myarion and Simplomys aff. aljaphi, the evolutionary stage of Pseudocricetodon thaleri, close to the population of Coderet (MP30) but displaying some derived characters shared by Early Miocene populations, and the intermediate morphology and size of R. occitanensis nov. sp. between Rhodanomys transiens and Rhodanomys schlosseri support a basal MN1 age for Prat de Cest. The glirid Vasseuromys cf. bergasensis is the first occurrence of this genus outside Spain and could also be the first occurrence of Vasseuromys bergasensis in the Early Miocene. The unique faunal association found in Prat de Cest paves the way for a possible subdivision of the MN1 biozone.

Marsupials (Herpetotheriids) from the late Palaeogene of south-east Serbia

Three marsupial species are present in Palaeogene assemblages from south-eastern Serbia, Amphiperatherium minutum (Aymard, 1846), A. exile (Gervais, 1848–1852) and a species of Peratherium Aymard, 1850. These species are common in the late Eocene and early Oligocene of Western and Central Europe and their presence in South-Eastern Europe indicate that by the end of the Eocene, the eastwards dispersal of these marsupial species was already a fact. The presence of the same marsupial species in Serbia and in Western Europe is surprising, as the difference in composition between the Serbian and Western European rodent faunas indicates a limited faunal exchange between these areas in the late Eocene and early Oligocene. In marsupials, the stylar shelf of the upper molars shows a large morphological variation. A lesser-known variation is the presence of a transverse crista in the stylar shelf. These occur in various marsupial species, but so far were not known to be present in Amphiperatherium minutum. In our opinion, the large morphological variation of the stylar shelf is thus better not used to define a new species.

Additions to the late Eocene Süngülü mammal fauna in Easternmost Anatolia and the Eocene-Oligocene transition at the periphery of Balkanatolia

The Eocene-Oligocene transition marks a period of dramatic global climatic change correlated with pronounced mammalian faunal change. Fossil evidence is indispensable for studying the distribution of taxa through time, and determining how abiotic parameters shaped ancient biodiversity. Here we report ruminant artiodactyls and a new anthropoid primate from Süngülü, a locality in Eastern Anatolia that has yielded a diversified and largely endemic assemblage of rodents. Three taxa of ­ruminants are recognized, the tragulid Iberomeryx parvus Gabunia, 1964, a larger species of Iberomeryx Gabunia, 1964, and a bachitheriid referred to cf. Bachitherium sp. A lower molar is identified as the new eosimiid primate Sungulusimias unayae n. gen., n. sp., which is the first occurrence of Paleogene anthropoids in western Asia. The lower molar of Sungulusimias unayae n. gen., n. sp. is characterized by protoconid and metaconid closely spaced and of similar height and volume, paraconid cuspidate and nearly connate with metaconid, strong mesiobuccal cingulid, and entoconid without strong connection to hypoconulid via the postcristid. The composition of this assemblage together with rodents indicates a probable Latest Eocene age for Süngülü, although an early Oligocene age cannot be completely ruled out. The rodent fauna from Süngülü suggests that endemism persisted at the periphery of Balkanatolia until the latest Eocene while Eastern Anatolia was situated in a strategic corridor for faunal exchanges between eastern Asia, Indo-Pakistan and Europe. During the Eocene-Oligocene transition, Balkanatolia probably functioned as a “holding pen” where various taxa were confined for significant intervals of time before proceeding to colonize Western Europe at the Grande Coupure.

The Rodent Fauna of the Second Half of the Late Holocene in Northeastern European Russia

The Rodent Fauna of the Second Half of the Late Holocene in Northeastern European Russia

Early Middle Pleistocene Fauna Of Fossil Rodents And LoessPaleosol Series Of The Pekla Key Section (Taman Peninsula, Russia)

The history of the early Middle Pleistocene small mammal faunas of Eastern Europe is very complicated. The early Middle Pleistocene which spanned from the Brunhes-Matuyama transition (772.9 ka BP, within MIS 19) till the beginning of the Likhvin Interglacial (424 ka BP, MIS 11) includes a number of interglacials and glaciations. Rodent species of the Tiraspolian faunal assemblage were found in the Chaudian fluvial deposits of the Cape Pekla section (northern coast of the Taman Peninsula). The evolutional level of the Pekla rodents are similar to those from the stratotype section of the Tiraspolian faunal assemblage in the Kolkotova Balka in Moldova (MIS 17) , which includes Eolagurus sp., Mimomys savini, Microtus (Terricola) arvalidens, Microtus (Alexandromys) ex gr. oeconomus and other species. The Pekla fauna also resembles the rodent fauna from famous English West Runton Freshwater Bed locality formed during the Cromerian Interglacial II and some other East and West European faunas. In the current work the entire loess-paleosol sequence of the Pekla section was described with five paleosols from the Middle to the Late Pleistocene. The sequence reflects the complexity of climatic fluctuations from the early Middle Pleistocene to the Holocene.

Diversity and ecology of mammal species from the „Padurea Domneasca” scientific reserve

The studies were performed in the “Pădurea Domnească” scientific Reserve between years 2017–2022. The mammal fauna includes 7 insectivore species, 13 bat species, 20 rodent species, a species of hare, 12 species of carnivores and 3 species of ungulates. In the last five years, 4 new bat species have been registered for the reserve. The 5 species of shrews were recorded mainly in wet habitats. Among the bats, the rarest were Myotis mystacinus, M. dasycneme and Plecotus auritus. The rodent fauna was the richest, many species being eurytopic. The reserve is home to 12 species of carnivores, of which the European mink has not been recorded in recent decades. The jackal number increased from 30 in 2017 to about 60 in 2022. Other species have a stable or an increasing dynamic. The wild boar number decreased from 340 in 2018 to 43 in 2021. The samples taken established the presence of the pure form of wild boar. The roe deer has an average density of 26 ind./ha, and the common deer reached 38 individuals in 2022. 18 species are protected at national level and 6 – at international level.

Caviomorphs (Rodentia, Hystricognathi) from Pampa Castillo, Chile: new octodontoid records and biochronological implications

AbstractCaviomorph rodents have been diverse and abundant components of South American mammal communities since the late Eocene. We describe herein the octodontoids of Pampa Castillo, a Lower Miocene site in southern Chile (Aysén Region). Six genera and seven species of octodontoids are present, two of which are new: Dudumus berggreni sp. nov. and Caviocricetus guenekko sp. nov. The octodontoids from Pampa Castillo support assignment of this fauna to the Santacrucian South American Land Mammal Age (SALMA), which is consistent with previous studies. We conducted similarity analyses on 11 Early–Middle Miocene Patagonian rodent faunas using hierarchical clustering. Faunas generally fell into the three SALMAs to which they were traditionally assigned: Colhuehuapian, Santacrucian and ‘post‐Santacrucian’. The ‘Pinturan’ is a proposed biochronological interval between the Colhuehuapian and Santacrucian. At the genus level, Pampa Castillo clustered with ‘Pinturan’ faunas, while at the species level it clustered with the ‘typical’ faunas on which the Santacrucian SALMA is based (from outcrops of the Santa Cruz Formation along the Atlantic coast and Río Santa Cruz). The Pampa Castillo rodent fauna resembles both ‘Pinturan’ and ‘typical’ Santacrucian faunas in taxon distributions, reflecting complex temporal and palaeoenvironmental influences. Geochronological data indicate that some ‘Pinturan’ sites overlap temporally with Pampa Castillo and the upper Pinturas Formation, which both clustered with ‘typical’ Santacrucian faunas. These results indicate that the ‘Pinturan’ does not represent a distinct biochronological interval, but that the differences between it and ‘typical’ Santacrucian faunas are attributable to geographic or palaeoenvironmental differences.

A new species of Megacricetodon from the Early-Middle Miocene of Czech Republic and its importance for the understanding of the earliest evolution and dispersal of the genus in Europe

ABSTRACT The sudden appearance of modern cricetids in Europe during the Early Miocene was one of the most significant mammalian events of European Neogene. A characteristic representative of this mammalian turnover was the genus Megacricetodon that quickly became major components of the rodent faunas across Europe. Here, we review the fossil record of this genus from the Early-Middle Miocene (MN4-MN5) localities of Czech Republic, the key area for the understanding the earliest history of this genus in central Europe. We provide an age refinement of the localities under study, especially in the context of new data from the Northern Alpine Foreland Basins. A detailed analysis of the available material revealed a presence of Megacricetodon grueneri sp. nov., described here from Dolnice 3 (MN4a/b). The oldest record of Megacricetodon comes from Ořechov (~late MN4a) and marks the first occurrence of the genus in central Europe. We discuss and propose the most likely scenarios for the earliest phylogeny and dispersal of Megacricetodon into central and western Europe that were strongly influenced by major tectonic processes in the Pannonian and Pre-Alpine areas having a major impact on the development of terrestrial ecosystems and the composition of faunas. Zoobank: http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D2154E84-BD58-4AF9-80C7-8E8AEED7517D

Rodent faunas, their paleogeographic pattern, and responses to climate changes from the early Eocene to the early Oligocene in Asia

Rodents are an important component in Paleogene terrestrial ecosystems. Their evolution and faunal turnover have likely been influenced and triggered by global climate change. Here, we compiled rodent faunas from the early Eocene to the early Oligocene in Asia to discuss rodent faunal turnover and its correlation with paleogeographic and paleoclimate changes. Successive rodent faunas from the early Eocene to the early Oligocene are recorded in East Asia, and rodent faunal turnover is obviously affected by paleoclimatic changes. During the Ulangochuian (after the middle Eocene climatic optimum), when temperatures declined slowly, the East Asian rodent fauna showed a clear decline in generic diversity and a transformation from ctenodactyloid-dominant to cricetid–dipodid-dominant faunas. During the Eocene–Oligocene transition (EOT) and global cooling, the East Asian rodent fauna exhibited a considerably high generic diversity of cricetids, dipodids, and ctenodactylids. The low temperatures during the Ulangochuian and Ergilian in East Asia served as a habituation ground for the cricetids and dipodids, which became preadapted for the EOT, successfully helping rodents become dominant faunas after EOT. The rodent faunas in South Asia formed a relatively unique group in much of the Eocene and early Oligocene; sometimes, they were closer to European or African than to Asian rodents. The greatly different paleoenvironment probably caused striking differences between the rodent faunas in South Asia and East Asia.

The Late Oligocene rodent faunas of Canales (MP28) and Parrales (MP29) from the Loranca Basin, Province of Cuenca, Spain

Two rodent faunas from the Upper Oligocene fluvial sediments of the Upper Detrital Unit of the Loranca Basin are described. The oldest fauna of Canales contains lssiodoromys limognensis and is correlated to MP28; the other, more modern fauna of Parrales contains I. pseudanaema and it is correlated to MP29. The cricetid genera Adelomyarion Hugueney, 1969 and Allocricetodon Freudenthal, 1994 are reviewed and the latter one is considered to be a junior synonym of the former one. The faunas are compared to other Spanish late Oligocene faunas such as Vivel de Río, Hinojosa de Jarque, and Sayaton 1 and 6. The resulting succession is correlated to the most important remaining European late Oligocene localities, and the biochronological subdivision of this period is discussed.

Cavioids, Chinchilloids, and Erethizontoids (Hystricognathi, Rodentia, Mammalia) of the Early Miocene Pampa Castillo Fauna, Chile

Caviomorph rodents became important components of South American faunas after their Eocene arrival from Africa. Here we describe the cavioid, chinchilloid, and erethizontoid caviomorphs of the early Miocene Pampa Castillo fauna of southern Chile. This fauna's age and location make it key for resolving outstanding biostratigraphic questions concerning early Miocene Patagonian fossiliferous strata. Each of the four major caviomorph clades (“superfamilies”) is represented in the Pampa Castillo fauna, three whose members are detailed here: cavioids (3 genera; 3 species), chinchilloids (3 genera; 6 species), and erethizontoids (2 genera; 2 species). Abundantly represented taxa, e.g., Neoreomys australis, Perimys erutus, and Prolagostomus pusillus, corroborate previous work assigning the Pampa Castillo fauna to the Santacrucian South American Land Mammal “Age” (SALMA; inclusive of the “Pinturan”). Several taxa, including Eosteiromys, Perimys intermedius, and Perimys sp. nov.?, are also found in the lower and middle Pinturas Formation (lmPF) but not “core” Santacrucian faunas (from the Santa Cruz Formation [SCF] along the Río Santa Cruz and Atlantic coast), suggesting a distinctive resemblance between lmPF and Pampa Castillo rodents. Some authors consider the fauna from the lmPF to form the basis of a “Pinturan” SALMA or subage, considered to slightly predate core Santacrucian faunas, but which has yet to be formally recognized. The taxonomic composition of rodent fauna from Pampa Castillo, as well as relative abundance data, indicated a paleoenvironment intermediate between the closed forests of the lmPF and the mosaic of open and closed habitats of the core Santacrucian faunas from the SCF.

Mammal fauna from the Landscape Reserve "La Castel", Republic of Moldova

The studies were performed in 2015-2021 in various ecosystems of the Landscape Reserve "La Castel". 45 species of mammals of 7 orders were recorded. The shrew fauna was represented by 4 species, of which one is protected. The bats were represented by 11 species, including 7 protected species. The analysis of the multiannual dynamics of the bat community structure in the Gordinești mines highlighted the dominance of the species M. blythii. During the study years, the number of maternity colony of M. blythii was increasing. Rodent fauna was best represented - 17 species, of which 2 rare. The most favorable habitats for small mammal fauna are riparian biotopes and forest edge. The trophic spectrum of the little owl consisted of 9 taxa. Microtus species dominated by over 50%, followed by genus Mus with about 18% and C. suaveolens with over 15%, other species had a small percentage, between 1.18% -4.71%. Carnivores were represented by 8 species, of which 3 rare species, and artiodactyls – by 2 common species.

Synanthropic rodent fauna of Eastern Transbaikalia in the early 21st century

The article provides information on the synanthropic rodent fauna of Eastern Transbaikalia. In 2017–2020 the city of Chita, the town of Baley and small settlements of Zabaykalsky krai were surveyed. True synanthropes: the house mouse and the brown rat are most abundant in residential landscapes. Natural populations of the house mouse are typical for coastal biotopes of the steppe zone, and the brown rat is typical for forest-steppe zone of Zabaykalsky krai. In Chita (administrative centre of Zabaykalsky krai) the share of the brown rat in rodent communities has considerably increased in recent decades. There is an extension of the brown rat’s habitat in the area of Baikal-Amur Mainline. Optional synanthropes: striped field mouse, striped dwarf hamster, Maximowicz’s vole, and narrow-headed vole are less important in residential landscapes of the region. In the beginning of the 21st century the field mouse is extending its habitat to the disjunct zone to the west of Transbaikalia: it is now common in the residential area of the town of Baley. Penetration of another optional synanthropic species recorded in the neighbouring Siberian regions – the East European vole – has not been detected.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Rodents during the Epizootic and Enzootic Periods of Plague, with a Focus on Exu, Northeastern Brazil.

The plague caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium is primarily a flea-transmitted zoonosis of rodents that can also be conveyed to humans and other mammals. In this work, we analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution of rodent populations during epizootic and enzootic periods of the plague in the municipality of Exu, northeastern Brazil. The geospatial analyses showed that all the rodent species appeared through the whole territory of the municipality, with different occurrence hotspots for the different species. Important fluctuations in the rodent populations were observed, with a reduction in the wild rodent fauna following the end of a plague epizootic period, mostly represented by Necromys lasiurus and an increase in the commensal species Rattus rattus. A higher abundance of rats might lead to an increased exposure of human populations, favoring spillovers of plague and other rodent-borne diseases. Our analysis highlights the role of wild rodent species as amplifier hosts and of commensal rats (R. rattus) as preserver hosts in the enzootic period of a specific transmission infection area.

Biogeography of Angolan rodents: The first glimpse based on phylogenetic evidence

AbstractAimAssessment of phylogenetic diversity and biogeographical affinities of the rodent fauna from one of the most neglected areas in Africa.LocationAngola (with biogeographical implications in adjacent areas).MethodsInference of mitochondrial phylogenies for rodent genera occurring in Angola, delimitation of molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs), assessment and comparative analysis of their geographical distribution.ResultsWe provide the first genetic evidence for the presence of 44 rodent taxa from 19 genera and 5 families in Angola, including twelve MOTUs endemic to Angola, and 12 candidate new species, pending integrative taxonomic revisions. The endemic MOTUs were found almost exclusively in the Angolan Miombo Woodlands and in Angolan montane forest−grassland mosaic.Main conclusionsThe highly diverse Angolan rodent fauna is mostly composed of and shows affinities with taxa originating from three major biogeographical regions of sub‐Saharan Africa (Zambezian, South African and Congolian). It is also composed of a unique fauna comprising palaeoendemics from the Angolan Highlands. The species richness and the endemism detected in the Angolan montane forest−grassland mosaic and in the Angolan escarpment forests suggest that these are relevant for conservation, but more studies including other biological groups are needed to fundament this.

New late Oligocene rodent faunas from the Pannonian basin

The rodent associations from the late Oligocene deposits of Ugljevik and Paragovo in the Pannonian basin are described. Pannoniamys paragovensis, a new genus and species of Spalacidae, is defined. The published data from a third late Oligocene locality in the area (Banovići) is included in the discussion of the changes in community structure through the time-interval studied. Although the composition of the rodent faunas studied differs, the dominating cricetid genus in all three associations is Deperetomys, a genus that appears in western Europe during the late middle Miocene. While the late Oligocene rodent record of central and southwestern Europe is characterised by endemic development, the regime in the Balkans seems to have been one of multiple immigrations and replacements. The late Oligocene age of the rodent fauna from Ugljevik estimated at about 26 Ma, provides a minimum age for the start of rifting in the Pannonian basin, some 6 Ma earlier than previously documented.

Fluctuation of body mass in cotton rats and pocket gophers during the late Cenozoic in the Meade basin of Kansas: possible influence of the Huckleberry Ridge Ash-fall

ABSTRACT Equations estimating body mass were used to depict a near 5-million-year history of size change in pocket gophers and cotton rats from the Meade Basin of southwestern Kansas. Although phyletic size decrease was noted in Sigmodon minor and Geomys minor and size increase in Geomys quinni, no long-term intra-basin size trends were observed. Immediately following the Huckleberry Ridge ash-fall at 2.11 Ma, the small Pliocene cotton rat S. minor became extinct, a large cotton rat entered the basin, two gophers became extinct, and two new ones entered the basin. Assuming the same rodent contingent at the Short Haul locality as at the Aries A site, between deposition of the Borchers and Short Haul assemblages, minimally about 0.12 million years, 40% of the Meade Basin rodent fauna turned over and Microtus dispersed into North America across Beringia. Geochemical environmental proxy data did not identify significant climatic events in the Borchers Badlands Pleistocene sequence; consequently it is possible that a super-eruption from the Yellowstone caldera was at least partly responsible for size shifts in cotton rats and pocket gophers and significant modifications to the Meade Basin rodent community.

Dispersal and early evolution of the first modern cricetid rodents in Western Europe: new data from the Vallès-Penedès Basin (Catalonia)

Modern cricetids originated in Asia and dispersed into Western Europe by the end of the early Miocene, where they quickly became major components of the rodent faunas. Here we review the early Miocene rodent record of the genera Democricetodon Fahlbusch, 1964 and Megacricetodon Fahlbusch, 1964 in the Vallès-Penedès Basin (Catalonia, Spain). Democricetodon is represented by four species in the studied sites (D. hispanicus Freudenthal, 1967, D. cf. decipiens (Freudenthal & Daams, 1988), D. gracilis Fahlbusch, 1964 and a large-sized undetermined species) and Megacricetodon by one (M. primitivus (Freudenthal, 1963)). The cricetid succession bears several similarities with that of the nearby Calatayud-Montalbán Basin (East-Central Spain) to the point that the same detailed local biostratigraphy could be extended to the Catalan basin. The rare presence of certain Democricetodon species (D. gracilis) and other small mammal taxa also reveal affinities with regions beyond the Iberian Peninsula and indicate that the Vallès-Penedès Basin was more humid and forested than inland Iberian basins during the early Miocene.

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Algeria; Highlight on the Focus of M'Sila.

Algeria ranks second after Afghanistan for the incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) worldwide. Here, we report a 34-years retrospective analysis of CL in Algeria and focused on the most affected region, the M’Sila province. All 66 cutaneous isolates corresponded to Leishmania (L.) major. Our study of the sandfly and rodent fauna further highlighted the high density of Phlebotomus papatasi and additional phlebotomine species of medical importance, not previously identified in M’Sila. Wild rodents belonging to nine species were trapped in M’Sila, and Psammomys obesus and Meriones shawi were found infected by L. major. In addition, Leishmania infantum was isolated from two visceral leishmaniasis cases, one dog and its proven vectors (P. perniciosus, P. longicuspis, and P. perfiliewi) inventoried during the survey. The high incidence of CL in the M’Sila province is likely a consequence of the increase in minimum temperatures recorded that constitutes suitable conditions for establishing a high endemicity and leads to an explosive rise in leishmaniases cases in this region. A thorough investigation of the underlying risk factors is urgently needed to detect new cases earlier. All these would improve the preparedness to fight the disease.

Extinct insular oryzomyine rice rats (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) from the Grenada Bank, southern Caribbean.

The Lesser Antillean island chain in the eastern Caribbean formerly supported a diverse rodent fauna including multiple endemic genera of oryzomyine rice rats. The Caribbean rice rats are now all extinct, with most island populations known only from Holocene palaeontological and zooarchaeological material and with many remaining taxonomically undescribed. Rice rat material is reported from several pre-Columbian Ceramic Age (late Holocene) archaeological sites on the Grenada Bank, including sites on Grenada and Carriacou, but the taxonomic identity and diversity of the Grenada Bank rice rats has remained uncertain. We provide a morphology-based description of rice rats from Grenada and Carriacou, and analyze their phylogenetic and biogeographical affinities to other Caribbean and mainland Neotropical oryzomyines. We recognize two taxa from the Grenada Bank: we describe the new species Megalomys camerhogne from Pearls (Grenada), representing the largest-bodied member of the extinct endemic Caribbean genus Megalomys, and we refer smaller-bodied oryzomyine material from Pearls and Sabazan (Carriacou) to the widespread extant Neotropical species Zygodontomys brevicauda. Body size variation within Megalomys correlates with island bank area and might thus reflect historical rather than modern biogeography. Zygodontomys specimens from the Grenada Bank fall within the upper end of size variation in extant populations and may constitute an example of 'island gigantism', but it is possible that occurrence of this widespread species on the Grenada Bank might reflect prehistoric human-mediated translocation. We predict further endemic Caribbean rice rat taxa remain to be discovered, including a possible species of Megalomys on the neighbouring island of St. Vincent.