Mnf. Dasilva, 4 NEW SPECIES OF SPINY RATS OF THE GENUS PROECHIMYS (RODENTIA, ECHIMYIDAE) FROM THE WESTERN AMAZON OF BRAZIL, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 111(2), 1998, pp. 436-471
A total of eight species of spiny rats of the genus Proechimys are inc
luded within a collection of mammals assembled during a year-long surv
ey of vertebrates along the Rio Jurua in the western Amazon Basin of B
razil. Four of these are the well-recognized taxa in western Amazonia,
P. simonsi, P. brevicauda, P. cuvieri, and P. steerei, but the remain
ing four are new (P. echinothrix, P. kulinae, P. pattoni, and P. gardn
eri). The diagnoses and descriptions of the new taxa are provided here
in on the basis of genetic (chromosomes and DNA sequences) and morphol
ogical data. The latter include bacular characters, qualitative and qu
antitative features of the cranium and external morphology.