Southernmost occurrence of Cuniculus paca (Rodentia, Cuniculidae): new Argentinean localities based on vouchers

Abstract

Limited vouchered records exist for Cuniculus paca, the second-largest living caviomorph rodent, documenting its southernmost occurrence. Here, we introduce four new recording sites based on skulls probably discarded by local hunters, with three located in Misiones Province and the fourth marking the first supported evidence in the neighboring Corrientes Province in Argentina. The dataremains inconclusive as to whether the latter location signifies a southern expansion of this rodent due to climate change or simply an overlooked population that has long been established. Regardless, these findings underscore the importance of increased fieldwork and specimen collection.