Voalavo antsahabensis
| Voalavo antsahabensis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Nesomyidae |
| Genus: | Voalavo |
| Species: | V. antsahabensis |
| Binomial name | |
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Voalavo antsahabensis Goodman et al., 2005 |
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| Known records of Voalavo antsahabensis (green) and Voalavo gymnocaudus (red) | |
Voalavo antsahabensis, also known as the eastern voalavo, is a rodent in the family Nesomyidae which occurs in the Anjozorobe forest of eastern Madagascar. Although surveys before 2002 failed to record the species, it is common in some places. However, it is threatened by habitat loss because of slash-and-burn agriculture. The species was formally described in 2005 and is most closely related to the only other species of Voalavo, Voalavo gymnocaudus from northern Madagascar.
The two species of Voalavo are only subtly different in morphology. With a body mass of 20.7 to 22.6 g (0.73 to 0.8 oz), V. antsahabensis is a small rodent. It has a longer tail than V. gymnocaudus, as well as a longer rostrum (front part of the skull) and diastema (gap between the incisors and molars), but shorter molar rows. The two species also differ in details of the configuration of the palate.
Voalavo antsahabensis was first recorded in 2002, when three individuals were captured in Madagascar's Anjozorobe forest. In 2005, the species was formally described by Steven Goodman and colleagues as Voalavo antsahabensis, the second species in the genus Voalavo. The only previously known species, Voalavo gymnocaudus, occurs further to the north, in the Northern Highlands. The sequences of the gene differ by about 10% in these two species. The specific name, antsahabensis, derives from the name of the village of Antsahabe, which is near the place where the holotype was found. The common name "Eastern Voalavo" has been used for this species.
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