Records and activity patterns of an undescribed Lagidium in Andean temperate ecosystems of southern Chile

Abstract

Lagidium wolffsohni is one of the largest living chinchillids and among South America’s least studied rodents, and it is endemic to the high-Andean rocky environments of Patagonia. We report new records of L. cf. L. wolffsohni in Chile’s La Araucania Region, extending its northern range by 144 km. From 2023 to 2025, camera-trap surveys yielded 241 independent detections over 1,132 trap days between 1,620 and 1,800 m a.s.l. The species showed nocturnal, bimodal activity, with adults and juveniles indicating one annual reproductive event. These findings extend their ecological range into Andean temperate ecosystems and highlight the need for genetic and long-term monitoring to guide conservation efforts.

Keywords: viscacha; data deficient; Andes mountain range; Araucaria araucana; camera traps; mammals.