Abstract

ZARAGOZA-QUINTANA, Elisa P. et al. Small rodents in the Yucatan Peninsula: knowledge and perspectives in 114 years of research. Therya [online]. 2016, vol.7, n.2, pp.299-314. ISSN 2007-3364.  https://doi.org/10.12933/therya-16-367.

Studies conducted on small mammals, such as tropical rodents, have generated great interest since they can easily provide information concerning to their populations. The present article presents an analysis of the bibliography and sampling locations of small rodents of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. In addition, the information contained within the literature is revised in order to identify the geographic and thematic coverage of the species records for the purpose of analyzing perspectives in the study of small rodents and in order to contribute to the efforts being made towards their protection and conservation. Publications of periodical journals, books and book chapters published between 1901 and 2015 were reviewed and analyzed. The literature covered research of the 15 small rodent species that are distributed on the Yucatán Peninsula. The studies were grouped into 10 themes, an accumulation curve was prepared by decade for each state of the Yucatan Peninsula and a map of distribution was generated detailing the locations of the records of each species. A total of 212 references were obtained, of which 162 corresponded to articles in periodical publications and 50 to books and book chapters. The most studied species were Peromyscus yucatanicus, Heteromys gaumeri and Ototylomys phyllotis; in contrast, those for which practically no information exists were Tylomys nudicaudus, Reithrodontomys spectabilis and Heteromys desmarestianus. The State of Yucatán has been the most explored and has the greatest number of sites and records of small rodents, followed by Quintana Roo and finally Campeche. The most commonly addressed themes were distribution, taxonomy, phylogeny, diseases and parasitism. Gaps in the information were detected for the majority of the species in the different themes such as feeding, reproduction, anatomy and morphology. For this reason, it is important to carry out studies in these themes in order to further the knowledge of the small rodents of the Yucatán Peninsula. These studies could provide information with the aim to propose changes to their conservation status in both Mexican and international legislation, or take appropriate decisions regarding protection of their specific habitats.

Keywords : Campeche; diversity; Mexico; Quintana Roo; Rodentia.

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