Dictionary

abrocomid en · NOUN

Meanings

1. Any of the caviomorph rodents of the family Abrocomidae of chinchilla rats.
   • The Andean families (chinchillids, octodontids, abrocomids, and many ctenomyids) are not subject to the same climatological forces affecting species in the lowland tropics. 1982, Michael A. Mares, Hugh H. Genoways, Mammalian Biology in South America: A Symposium Held at the Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology, May 10-14, 1981, page 427:
   • Caviids are grassland-scrubland species, while abrocomids are small herbivores of xeric Andean habitats. 1985, Francis Greenough Stehli, Sawney David Webb, The Great American Biotic Interchange, page 492:
   • This is likely to be the plesiomorphic state, as it is thus in capromyids, octodontids, abrocomids, and cuniculids. 2005, Louise H. Emmons, “A Revision of the Genera of Arboreal Echimyidae (Rodentia: Echimyidae: Echimyinae), With Descriptions of Two New Genera”, in Eileen A. Lacey, Philip Myers, editors, Mammalian Diversification: From Chromosomes to Phylogeography, page 262:

Forms

Synonyms

chinchilla rat (any species of family Abrocomidae)