Proechimys roberti Thomas 1901

Proechimys roberti Thomas 1901, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7, 14: 531.

Type Locality: Brazil, Minas Gerais, Araguari, Rio Jordão.

Vernacular Names: Roberto's Spiny-rat.

Synonyms: Proechimys arescens Osgood 1944; Proechimys boimensis Allen 1916; Proechimys oris Thomas 1904 .

Distribution: Cerrado of C Brazil and E Amazon.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc) as P. oris .

Discussion: Thomas (1901) considered roberti a close relative of longicaudatus and some subsequent reports have treated it as a subspecies of longicaudatus (Cabrera, 1961; Moojen, 1948; Woods, 1993). Thomas (1904 b) suggested affinities with guyannensis and Ellerman (1940) listed as a subspecies of guyannensis . Patton (1987) assigned it to the guyannensis group. Considered a distinct species based on morphometrics (Pessôa et al., 1990) and molecular data (Weksler et al., 2001). Eisenberg and Redford (1999) suggested that oris is probably a synonym for roberti, supported by Weksler et al. (2001). Karyotype has 2n=30 and FN=54-56 (Gardner and Emmons, 1984; Weksler et al., 2001).