Brucepattersonius

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Theria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Ordo: Rodentia
Subordo: Myomorpha
Superfamilia: Muroidea
Familia: Cricetidae
Subfamilia: Sigmodontinae
Tribus: Akodontini
Genus: Brucepattersonius
Species: B. griserufescens - B. guarani - B. igniventris - B. iheringi - B. misionensis - B. paradisus - B. soricinus

Name

Brucepattersonius Hershkovitz, 1998

References

* Hershkovitz, P. 1998: Report on some sigmodontine rodents collected in southeastern Brazil with descriptions of a new genus and six new species. Bonner Zoologische Beitraege, 47(3-4): 193-256.
* Mares, M.; Braun, J.K. 2000: Three new species of Brucepattersonius (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) from Misiones Province, Argentina. Occasional papers of the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 9: 1-13.
* Vilela, J.F.; De Oliveira, J.A.; Bonvicino, C.R. 2006: Taxonomic status of Brucepattersonius albinasus (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae). Zootaxa, 1199: 61-68. Abstract & excerpt

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Brucepattersonius is a genus of rodents within the tribe Akodontini from southeastern South America. Also known as Brucies, the genus is named after Bruce Patterson, MacArthur Curator at the Department of Zoology (Mammals), at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago.

In 1998, Philip Hershkovitz described the genus and four species from the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil and also included the previously described species B. iheringi, which had been included in Oxymycterus and some other genera before. Two years later, Mares and Braun described three additional species from Misiones Province, northeastern Argentina, on the basis of a total of three species. In 2006, Vilela and others found that two of Hershkovitz's species were in fact identical. More material from Argentina was later reported, but not assigned to species.

The Brucies belong to the subfamily Sigmodontinae and the tribe Akodontini. They are ground-dwellers, and may have a preference for higher altitudes within the rain forest area. Each species is thought to be restricted to a limited area. It is uncertain if they are all distinct species, since many are known from very few specimen, which makes it difficult to know how variable Brucies are.

References

* Hershkovitz, P. (1998). Report of some sigmodontinae rodents collected in southeastern Brazil with description of a new genus and six new species. Bonner Zoologische Beitraege, 47, 193-256.
* Mares, M. A., and J. K. Braun (2000). Three new species of Brucepattersonius (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) from Misiones Province, Argentina. Occasional Papers of the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 9, 1-3.
* Vilela, J. F., J. A. de Oliveira, and C. R. Bonvicino (2006). Taxonomic status of Brucepattersonius albinasus (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae). Zootaxa, 1199, 61-68.