taxonID	type	description	language	source
03B6A61FFF89C60DFCE50DBDFA99FE6D.taxon	description	(Figs. 3 - 6) C [avia]. australis I. Geoffroy and d’Orbigny, 1833: 1.	en	Teta, Pablo, Ojeda, Ricardo A., Lucero, Sergio O., D’Elía, Guillermo (2017): Zavreliella shidai Cao & Tang, 2017, sp. n. Zoological Studies 56 (29): 1-18, DOI: 10.6620/ZS.2017.56-29, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8060406
03B6A61FFF89C60DFCE50DBDFA99FE6D.taxon	materials_examined	Type locality: “ sur les bords du Rio Negro, vers le Quarante- unième degré, ” restricted to “ on the Lower Rio Negro, ” Río Negro, Argentina (Thomas 1929: 44). Emended morphological diagnosis: A medium-size species of Microcavia (length of head and body ca. 188 mm, condylo-incisive length ca. 40 mm) characterized by the following combinations of characters: dorsal coloration brownish to olive brown, with gray to yellowish gray underparts; skull strongly built, wide and relatively short; dorsal profile bowed to strongly bowed; nasals narrow anteriorlyt; zygomatic arches widely expanded and rounded; inferior process of the jugal posteriorly extended to the level of the posterior border of the glenoid fossa; suture between palatines occupied by a triangular to more or less heart-shaped palatal crista; rounded to acute posterior palatal edges, large sphenopalatine vacuities and relatively narrow presphenoids; incisors orthodont to proodont and usually visible from above. Distribution: M. australis is found in Argentina from highland areas (> 2000 m a. s. l.) of Mendoza province in the west and southern Buenos Aires province in the east, south to Santa Cruz province and adjoining parts of southern Chile (Dunnum 2015; Udrizar Sauthier et al. 2016). Populations from high mountain areas of San Juan Province could also correspond to M. australis, at least judging by their small size and skull morphology (q. v., Taraborelli et al. 2007). Taxonomic remarks: No trend in size or morphologic variation was detected throughout the extensive distribution of M. australis s. s. We found not evidence indicating that southern Patagonian populations are different, as has been suggested by the taxonomic scheme of Thomas (1921); therefore, no subspecies are recognized.	en	Teta, Pablo, Ojeda, Ricardo A., Lucero, Sergio O., D’Elía, Guillermo (2017): Zavreliella shidai Cao & Tang, 2017, sp. n. Zoological Studies 56 (29): 1-18, DOI: 10.6620/ZS.2017.56-29, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8060406
03B6A61FFF8BC60CFC110CFDFF40FB6D.taxon	description	(Figs. 3 - 6)	en	Teta, Pablo, Ojeda, Ricardo A., Lucero, Sergio O., D’Elía, Guillermo (2017): Zavreliella shidai Cao & Tang, 2017, sp. n. Zoological Studies 56 (29): 1-18, DOI: 10.6620/ZS.2017.56-29, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8060406
03B6A61FFF8BC60CFC110CFDFF40FB6D.taxon	materials_examined	Type locality: “ Chilecito, Rioja, 1200 metres, ” La Rioja, Argentina (Thomas 1898). Emended morphological diagnosis: A largesize species of Microcavia (length of head and body ca. 203 mm, condylo-incisive length ca. 44 mm) having the following combinations of characters: dorsal coloration yellowish gray in some samples (e. g., cata, lari) to brownish in others (e. g., sjun), underparts grayish to yellowish; skull strongly built, wide and larger than in australis and the new species described below; dorsal profile of the skull slightly bowed; outer margins of nasals almost parallel-sided; zygomatic arches widely expanded and rounded; jugals posteriorly extended behind the border of the glenoid fossa; long and narrow to long and slightly rhomboidal palatal crista along the suture between palatine bones; usually angled to rounded posterior palatal edge, sometimes with a caudal nasal spine; sphenopalatine vacuities small; presphenoids broad; incisors nearly orthodont and not visible from above. Distribution: The distribution of M. maenas extends up to 2,500 m along montane and hilly areas of Catamarca, La Rioja, Salta, San Juan and Tucumán provinces, and arid lowlands of western Córdoba, north-central Mendoza and northern San Luis provinces. Cabrera (1953) referred an individual trapped in Yavi Chico, Jujuy (MACN- Ma 36.426) to M. a. maenas, but our inspection of this specimen led us to re-identify it as Galea comes. Microcavia australis and M. maenas are both present in Mendoza province, although their distributions appears to be allopatric; whereas M. australis is restricted to localities at middle and high altitude (> 2000 m a. s. l.), M. maenas is found in the lowland terrains east of los Andes (<1500 m a. s. l.). The distributional ranges of both forms are rather uncertain diffuse and further studies are needed to clarify the limits between them. Taxonomic remarks: The taxonomic arrangement proposed here, in which salinia is recognized as synonym of maenas, was suggested earlier by Thomas (1921) who wrote “ No doubt [salinia is] nearly allied to C. a. maenas … ”. Qualitative and quantitative traits suggest that samples from cata, cord, lari, menc, menl, sjun sjus, salu, salt, and tucu belong to a single lineage for which the oldest available name is maenas. Samples from sjus, nearl topotypes of joannia, do not differ in size or morphology from other samples referred to maenas. Specimens from Salta (salt), were not include in the quantitative analyses because the entire sample was composed by broken skulls; however, the available measurements are close to those of other northwestern samples, warranting its inclusion in maenas.	en	Teta, Pablo, Ojeda, Ricardo A., Lucero, Sergio O., D’Elía, Guillermo (2017): Zavreliella shidai Cao & Tang, 2017, sp. n. Zoological Studies 56 (29): 1-18, DOI: 10.6620/ZS.2017.56-29, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8060406
03B6A61FFF8AC60AFE9609FDFB1CF86D.taxon	description	(Figs. 3 - 6, 9 - 10) LSID: urn: lsid: zoobank. org: pub: 7582 C 06 E- 83 EB- 4458 - BA 58 - F 19 E 092 ACE 67	en	Teta, Pablo, Ojeda, Ricardo A., Lucero, Sergio O., D’Elía, Guillermo (2017): Zavreliella shidai Cao & Tang, 2017, sp. n. Zoological Studies 56 (29): 1-18, DOI: 10.6620/ZS.2017.56-29, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8060406
03B6A61FFF8AC60AFE9609FDFB1CF86D.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype: An adult female [f] preserved as skin and skull (MACN-MA 17331; figures 9 and 10), and collected on 21 October 1969 by Abel Fornes and Merle L. Kuns (original field number CAF 3070). Paratype: An adult male [m] preserved as skin and skull (MACN-MA 17333), and collected on 21 October 1969 by A. Fornes and M. Kuns (original field number CAF 3072). Type locality: Argentina: Santiago del Estero, Pellegrini, Santa Isabel (26 ° 20 ' S, 64 ° 20 ' W). Additional material (localities arranged by increasing latitude): MACN-Ma 17330 [f], MACN- Ma 17332 [f], MACN-Ma 17334 [f], MACN-Ma 17335 [f], MACN-Ma 17336 [f], MACN-Ma 17337 [f], MACN-Ma 17338 [f], MACN-Ma 17339 [f], MACN-Ma 17340 [f], MACN-Ma 17341 [f], MACN- Ma 17342 [f], MACN-Ma 173441 [f], skins and skulls from Santa Isabel, Santiago del Estero; MACN-Ma 36.957, fluid preserved specimen from Cañada de La Costa, Santiago del Estero (27 ° 33 ' S, 64 ° 52 ' W); MACN-Ma 28.157 [f], skin and skull from Herrera, Santiago del Estero (28 ° 23 ' S, 62 ° 20 ' W); and MACN-Ma 42.96 [f], MACN-Ma 42.97 [f], fluid preserved specimens from Tacañitas, Santiago del Estero (28 ° 37 ' S, 62 ° 36 ' W). Etymology: This species is dedicated to J. Pablo Jayat, a close friend and colleague that in an ongoing productive career is the author of important contributions towards the characterization or the mammal fauna of northern Argentina. The name is a noun in apposition. Measurements of the holotype (in mm): Total length, 195; hindfoot length (with claw), 32; ear length, 18; TLS 45.22; CIL, 41.04; IOC, 10.50; ZB, 27.54; BB, 20.26; NL 13.56; NW, 6.73; FL, 18.00; DL, 11.6; BIF, 2.94; LIF, 5.98; TRL, 10.42; PL, 19.22; BPP, 15.95; BPM 3, 11.12; TBL, 11.25. Body mass of the holotype, 60 g. Diagnosis: A medium-size species of Microcavia (length of head and body ca. 187 mm, condiloincisive length ca. 40 mm) having the following unique combination of characters traits: dorsal coloration is yellowish brown, whereas ventral coloration is grayish with patches of pure white hairs on throat, and inner sides of the fore and hindfeet, and the inguinal region; skull strongly built, wide and relatively short; dorsal profile moderately bowed; outer borders of nasals almost parallel-sided; zygomatic arches widely expanded and angled towards its middle portion and with a conspicuous paraorbitary process; jugals posteriorly extended behind the border of the glenoid fossa; suture between palatines occupied by heart-shaped palatal cristae that surpass the posterior border of the palate which is nearly trapezoidal; small sphenopalatine vacuities and relatively broad presphenoids; incisors slightly proodont to orthodont although not visible from above. Distribution: Microcavia jayat is restricted to the thorn-scrub forests of the Dry Chaco ecoregion in the province of Santiago del Estero in north-central Argentina. However, it is likely that the range of M. jayat extends to the dry Chacoan forests of the nearby provinces of Salta, Chaco, Cordoba and Santa Fe. Moreover, it is possible, that the specimens referred by Contreras (1966) to M. a. salinia, from Tostado, Santa Fe (29 ° 14 ' S, 61 ° 46 ' W), for which no vouchers are available, as well as other populations from Santiago del Estero (e. g., Choya; 28 ° 29 ' S, 64 ° 51 ' W; see Quintana 1996), are also referable to this species. Morphological description: Microcavia jayat is smaller than M. maenas and comparable in size with M. australis. Its pelage is fine and slightly hispid; individual hairs are yellowish at the base and brownish at the tip on the dorsum and head and yellowish with two or three brownish bands on the flanks, giving a general yellowish brown appearance, darker and brownish on the midline and head; ears are small and covered by short grayish hairs; a patch of whitish hairs is found behind the ears; eyes are large and are surrounded by a ring of whitish hairs; vibrissae are brownish and fine; manus and pes are covered by yellowish brown hairs; ungual tufts are short on frontclaws and large on hindclaws, but do not surpass the tip of claws; ventral hairs have brownish gray to dark gray bases and whitish distal tips; a “ tie ” of dark gray hairs is present on the neck; patches of pure white hairs, more or less conspicuous, are present on throat and the internal side of forelegs and sometimes in hindlegs and the inguinal area; palmar and plantar surfaces are dark brownish; plantar surface is squamated, covered by three large, partially fused, interdigital pads and one large thenar pad. The skull is strongly built, its dorsal profile is moderately bowed; the rostrum is short and relatively narrow; the nasals are slightly vaulted anteriorly, with their outer margins nearly parallel; the naso-frontal suture forms a “ V ” widely open; the fronto-parietal suture is straight; the interorbital constriction is broad and flat; the orbits are large and rounded; the upper zygomatic process of the maxilla is extended as a plate over the rostrum; the lachrymals are partially interposed between the maxilla and premaxilla; the masseteric fossa of the zygomatic arch is deep and well defined; a conspicuous paraorbitary process is present; the jugal is posteriorly extended beyond the border of the glenoid fossa; the posterior process of the squamosal is straight; the posterior margin of the upper diastema is not vertical; the incisive foramina are nearly triangular in outline, with rounded margins in its posterior border; the palate is concave, with the palatine bones occupying the posterior half of the palate; the suture between palatines is occupied by heart-shaped palatal cristae that surpass the posterior border of the palate; the posterior margin of the palate is nearly trapezoidal in outline; the parapterygoids are large; the roof of the mesopterygoid fossa is well ossified, with small sphenopalatine vacuities along the presphenoid; the limit between the mastoid and paraoccipital process is at the same level of the auditory meatus; the occipital condyles are ovate and large and positioned above the ventral surface of the auditory bullae; the tympanic bullae are voluminous, with its external auditory meatus relatively short; the paraoccipital apophyses are short. The mandible is low and slender; in labial view, the notch for the insertion of the tendon of the masseter medialis pars infraorbitalis muscle lies between the p 4 and m 1; this notch is continued by a horizontal crest that extends anteriorly to the level of the anterior lobe of m 1; the dorsal fossa of the horizontal crest is deep; the lateral crest originates at the level of the m 1 and is horizontal; the coronoid process is small and triangular and is oriented backwards; the condyloid process is level with or slightly higher than the coronoid. The upper incisors are orthodont to proodont, with white enamel; the upper toothrows are anteriorly convergent, with the P 4 s almost in contact by its medial side; the P 4 and M 1 - M 2 are constituted by two lanceolated prisms of dentine, surrounded by a continuous wall of enamel and linked by small enamel isthmus; the lingual apex of each prism is slightly turned backwards; those lobes of the P 4 are narrow than those on M 1 - M 2 which are subequal in size; the hipoflexus on M 1 - M 3 is long, with its borders nearly parallel along most of the teeth and slightly divergent to the lingual portion; the primary external flexus on M 1 - M 3 is short and wide; the M 3 has a rounded to drop-shaped enlargement, attached to the second prism; the p 4 is smaller than m 1 - m 3 both anteroposteriorly and transversely. The anterior lobe of p 4 is obliquely oriented and heart-shaped, with a well developed anterior projection; the posterior lobe is more narrow and shorter than the posterior lobe of the molars; the anterior lobe on m 1 - m 3 is more lanceolate than the posterior lobe; hypoflexid on m 1 - 3 is funnel-shaped and wide, with a rounded lingual apex; primary internal flexids are wide and slightly oriented posteriorly. Variation: Ventral coloration is variable among individuals, with a gradient from dark gray to whitish. At least two individuals (MACN- Ma 28.157, MACN-Ma 17340) have a markedly brownish dorsal coloration, as is usually seen in M. australis. White patches on throat, internal side of the fore and hindfeet and inguinal region are very conspicuous in some specimens (e. g., MACN-Ma 17332, 17334, 17338), but weakly expressed in others. Morphological comparisons: Morphological differences between M. jayat n. sp. and M. australis and M. maenas were discussed under the results section. In M. niata the skull is strongly bowed, with a very short and high rostrum (upper diastema length <upper toothrow length), and has a curved posterior process of the squamosal. M. shiptoni has proportionally smaller tympanic bullae, with proportionally larger external auditory meatus and the additional prism in the upper third molar is smaller. Both in M. niata and M. shiptoni the upper incisors are proodont and visible from above. M. jayat n. sp. differs from the fossil species M. chapadmalensis, M. criollensis, M. reigi, and M. robusta by its much smaller size (length of tootrow ca. 11 mm vs. 12 - 18 mm in fossil species; q. v., Ubilla et al. 1999) and less robust cranium. Natural History: We know very little about the natural history of this species. The specimens referred to M. jayat were collected in the Dry Chaco ecoregion. The Dry Chaco is characterized by thorn scrub xerophytic forest vegetation dominated by Aspidospermum quebracho-blanco and Schinopsis quebracho with a subcanopy made up of several species of Fabaceae and arboreal cacti. Wooded areas are intermixed with open savannas, mostly dominated by grasses, shrubs, and trees. The weather is subtropical, strongly seasonal, with a dry season during winter months and high temperatures during the entire year; the mean annual temperature is 21.5 ° C, with maxima reaching 50 ° C; precipitation are in the order of 700 mm per year (The Nature Conservancy 2005). Conservation: Given the current knowledge, this species could be listed as Data Deficient, since it is only known from <10 localities and most of the aspects of its natural history are unknown. The Dry Chaco has been under severe perturbation due to logging and livestock grazing and during recent agricultural expansion (mostly due to increased soybean crops; Vallejos et al. 2015). For example, deforestation in Argentinean Dry Chaco amounted to an average of 100,000 hectares per year between 2001 and 2007. As a corollary of all of these activities, the Dry Chaco faces severe problems of desertification and erosion of its soils (The Nature Conservancy 2005).	en	Teta, Pablo, Ojeda, Ricardo A., Lucero, Sergio O., D’Elía, Guillermo (2017): Zavreliella shidai Cao & Tang, 2017, sp. n. Zoological Studies 56 (29): 1-18, DOI: 10.6620/ZS.2017.56-29, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8060406
