Systematics and diversification of the Ichthyomyini (Cricetidae, Sigmodontinae) revisited: evidence from molecular, morphological, and combined approaches.

Ichthyomyini, a morphologically distinctive group of Neotropical cricetid rodents, lacks an integrative study of its systematics and biogeography. Since this tribe is a crucial element of the Sigmodontinae, the most speciose subfamily of the Cricetidae, we conducted a study that includes most of its recognized diversity (five genera and 19 species distributed from southern Mexico to northern Bolivia). For this report we analyzed a combined matrix composed of four molecular markers (, , , ) and 56 morphological traits, the latter including 15 external, 14 cranial, 19 dental, five soft-anatomical and three postcranial features.

Diverse Beta- and Gammaherpesviruses in Neotropical Rodents from Costa Rica.

Neotropical wild rodents from Costa Rica were analyzed for the presence of herpesviruses (order , family ). Using a broadly generic PCR, herpesvirus sequences were detected in 5% (8/160) of liver and heart samples: seven putative gammaherpesviruses in samples from Talamancan oryzomys (), sprightly colilargo (), Mexican deer mouse (), and Chiriqui harvest mouse () and one putative betaherpesvirus in long-tailed singing mouse (). Results from this study could guide ecological investigations targeting the prevalence and host associations of herpesviruses in wild rodents from Costa Rica.