Sylvilagus brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Common Name and Taxonomic Classification

Sylvilagus brasiliensis, commonly known as the common tapeti, is a small to medium-sized rabbit species.

Body Dimensions

It has a head-body length of 320 mm (13 in), a 21 mm (0.83 in) tail, 71 mm (2.8 in) hind feet, and 54 mm (2.1 in) ears, measured from notch to tip.

Average Weight

Its average body weight is 934 g (32.9 oz).

Dorsal Coloration

Its back is brown with a speckled pattern, created by black hair tips, and it has a rufous spot on its neck.

Ventral and Tail Coloration

Its belly and the underside of its tail are also rufous.

Mammary Gland Count

This species has six mammae.

Karyotype Variation

Two different karyotypes have been recorded for the common tapeti: 2n=36, FN=68; and 2n=40, FN=76.

Social Structure and Activity Pattern

Common tapitis are solitary, primarily crepuscular animals most active after nightfall or before dawn.

Diet

They feed on grass and browse, and have also been recorded eating Harrya chromapes, a bolete mushroom.

Broad Habitat Types

This species inhabits forested areas close to swamps and river edges, as well as disturbed areas including gardens and plantations.

Specific Forest and Edge Habitats

More specifically, it lives in tropical rain forests, deciduous forests, and second-growth forests, as well as pastures surrounding forest habitat.

North and Central American Distribution

Its distribution starts in southern Tamaulipas, Mexico, extending south along Mexico's eastern coast through Guatemala, possibly El Salvador, Honduras, eastern Nicaragua, eastern Costa Rica, and Panama.

South American Distribution

It also occurs across the northern half of South America, including Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina, and most of Brazil.

Southernmost Distribution Limit

The southernmost point of its confirmed distribution is in Tucuman province, Argentina.

Elevation Range and Ecological Status

It can be found at elevations ranging from sea level up to 4,800 m (15,700 ft), and it is the only leporid species present across most of its range.

Nest Construction

Female common tapitis build above-ground nests from dry grasses to raise their young.

Nest Structure

These nests have a central chamber connected to a corridor that ends in three or four smaller side chambers.

Gestation Period Variation

The species' gestation period varies by geographic location.

Chiapas Population Reproductive Traits

Populations in Chiapas, Mexico, have a gestation period of around 28 days and produce three to eight offspring per litter.

Andes Páramos Population Reproductive Traits

Populations in the Andes Páramos have a 44-day gestation period and an average litter size of 1.2.

Breeding Pattern

Both populations breed year-round.

Myxoma Virus Reservoir Status

Like its close relative the California brush rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani), the common tapeti is a natural reservoir for the myxoma virus.

Myxoma Virus Discovery Context

This relationship was first discovered in the 1940s by Brazilian physician Henrique de Beaurepaire Rohan Aragão.

Myxoma Virus Pathogenicity Difference

The virus causes only benign cutaneous fibroma in common tapeti hosts, but it causes the lethal disease myxomatosis in European rabbits.