Geographic distribution and conservation of four species of the genusctenomysin southern Brazil

Abstract

The geographic distribution of four species of Ctenomys in the south of Brazil was studied. Three of them live in the Coastal Plain of the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina: C. flamarioni, Ctenomys sp., and C. minutus, while C. torquatus inhabits the south of Rio Grande do Sul and the north of Uruguay. The current species of the Coastal Plain occur on three different geological strata, which were originated from transgressive‐re‐gressive movements. C. flamarioni, C. torquatus and Ctenomys sp. are endangered of extinction in the near future due to stripe coal mining and urbanization.