Tag Archives: Peru

Caracara seymouri Suárez & Olson

Seymour’s Caracara (Caracara seymouri)  

This species was described in 2014 based on fossil remains that were recovered from the Talara Tar Seeps in northwestern Peru. These remains have been dated to Late Pleistocene/Earliest Holocene in age.

The species is also known from Late Pleistocene remains found in Ecuador. [1]

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References:  

[1] William Suárez; Storrs L. Olson: A new fossil species of small crested caracara (Aves: Falconidae: Caracara) from the Pacific lowlands of western South America. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 127(2) :299–310. 2014

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edited: 21.09.2020

Melanomys zunigae (Sanborn)

Zuniga’s Dark Rice Rat (Melanomys zunigae)

Zuniga’s Dark Rice Rat is, or maybe was, restricted to a small area near the coast of the Lima Province in Peru.

The species reaches a length of 20 to 24 cm, including the tail.

The original habitat this species was adapted to is now highly overgrazed by introduced goats and the rat might already be extinct.

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edited: 29.04.2021

Upucerthia dumetaria ssp. peruana Zimmer

Peruvian Scale-throated Earthcreeper (Upucerthia dumetaria ssp. peruana)

The Peruvian Scale-throated Earthcreeper, one of three subspecies of the Scale-throated Earthcreeper (Upucerthia dumetaria I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire) (see photo), was described in 1954 based on two specimens that had been collected in the 1950s in the Puno region in the Andes of southern Peru.

The Peruvian Scale-throated Earthcreeper apparently was the largest of the three subspecies, reaching a size of about 21,5 cm, it is also said to have been darker colored than the other forms.

There are apparently no recent records of this form and it is sometimes thought to be already extinct, however, its type locality is huge and it might still be rediscovered some day. [1]

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References:

[1] Juan I. Areta; Mark Pearman: Natural history, morphology, evolution, and taxonomic status of the Earthcreeper Upucerthia saturatior (Furnariidae) from the Patagonian forests of South America. The condor 111(1): 135-149. 2009

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Scale-throated Earthcreeper (Upucerthia dumetaria); nominate race

Photo: Brian Ralphs

(under creative commons license (2.0))
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0

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edited: 07.03.2020

Pradosia argentea (Kunth) T. D. Penn.

Silvery Pradosia (Pradosia argentea)

The Silvery Pradosia is a tree species that is known only from material that was collected somewhere in the Cajamarca Province in Peru some 180 years ago, it has never been recorded since and is believed to be extinct.

Two other species, which were thought to be extinct, were recently rediscovered: Glaziov’s Pradosia (Pradosia glaziovii (Pierre) T. D. Penn.) and Mutis’ Pradosia (Pradosia mutisii Cronquist). [1]

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References:

[1] Mário H. Terra-Araujo; Aparecida D. de Faria; Ulf Swenson: A taxonomic update of neotropical Pradosia (Sapotaceae, Chrysophylloideae). Systematic Botany 41(3): 634-650. 2016

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Depiction from: ‘Nova genera et species plantarum: quas in peregrinatione ad plagam aequinoctialem orbis novi collegerunt, descripserunt, partim adumbraverunt Amat. Bonpland et Alex. de Humboldt . ex schedis autographis Amati Bonplandi in ordinem digessit Carol. Sigismund. Kunth. Lutetiae Parisiorum, Sumtibus Librariae Graeco-Latino-Germanicae 1815’

(public domain)

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edited: 31.08.2020

Rallus semiplumbeus ssp. peruvianus Taczanowski

Peruvian Rail (Rallus semiplumbeus ssp. peruvianus)

The Peruvian Rail was described in 1886 as a subspecies of the Bogota Rail (Rallus semiplumbeus P. L. Sclater) based on a single specimen that was collected somewhere in the Peruvian highlands. 

The supposed subspecies reached a size of about 25 cm and is said to have differed from the nominate form sufficiently enough to warrant full species status.

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edited: 10.09.2019