First records of leucism in eight species of small mammals (Mammalia: Rodentia)
Keywords:
Ecuador, leucism, RodentiaAbstract
Leucism is a partial hypopigmentary congenital disorder that indicates low levels of genetic diversity and is considered to be an unusual trait in wild populations. In continental America, few cases of abnormal coloration in vertebrates have been recorded. This feature can increase the selective pressure on individuals who have it, and can result from population isolation which, in turn, could act as an alarming indicator of environmental change. This condition has not been reported previously in genera of small rodent such as Akodon, Nephelomys, Thomasomys, Trasandinomys and Mesomys. Therefore, the aim of this note is to report 38 cases of leucism found in eight rodent species for the first time: Akodon mollis (n = 7), Nephelomys albigularis (n = 7), N. moerex (n = 18), Transandinomys talamancae (n = 2), Thomasomys auricularis (n = 1), T. taczanowskii (n = 1), T. paramorum (n = 1) and Mesomys hispidus (n = 1).References
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