The plausible extinction of an Andean rodent: a victim of climate change?

Abstract Climate change is affecting biotic conditions at high altitude, particularly for species with narrow habitat preferences. Among them is the Andean rodent Aconaemys fuscus , known only from its holotype, collected in Argentina more than 150 years ago. Surveys in its purported habitat, including those conducted in 2017, have failed to detect the species and instead have documented the presence of another caviomorph, Ctenomys . Glacier recession, reduced snow precipitation, and increased grazing pressure on highland wetlands in the Central Andes suggest that A. fuscus may have been extirpated from the region due to climate change.