Rio de Janeiro dwarf cottontail

The Rio de Janeiro dwarf cottontail (Sylvilagus tapetillus) is a species of cottontail rabbit native to Brazil. Known from only three specimens, captured in the late nineteenth century in the Paraíba Valley, it was for a long time considered to be a subspecies of the tapeti (Sylvilagus brasiliensis). Slightly smaller than its close relative, and so sometimes known as the dwarf tapeti, analysis in 2017 confirmed that it is sufficiently distinct in both appearance and genetics to be considered a species in its own right.[2] Due to destruction of its putative habitat in the densely populated Paraíba Valley, it is unclear whether or not the species still survives in the present day.[1]

Rio de Janeiro dwarf cottontail
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Leporidae
Genus: Sylvilagus
Species:
S. tapetillus
Binomial name
Sylvilagus tapetillus
Thomas, 1913
Synonyms

Sylvilagus brasiliensis tapetillus Thomas, 1913

References

  1. Ruedas, A.R.; Smith, A.T. (2019). "Sylvilagus tapetillus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T142542759A142542793. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T142542759A142542793.en. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  2. Ruedas; French; Silva; Platt II; Salazar-Bravo; Mora; Thompson (2017). "A prolegomenon to the systematics of South American cottontail rabbits (Mammalia, Lagomorpha, Leporidae: Sylvilagus): designation of a neotype for S. brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1758), and restoration of S. andinus (Thomas, 1897) and S. tapetillus Thomas, 1913". Publications of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan. 205. ISSN 0076-8405.
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