Coastal tapeti

The coastal tapeti (Sylvilagus tapetillus), also known as the Rio de Janeiro dwarf cottontail or dwarf tapeti, is a species of cottontail rabbit native to Brazil. Known from only three specimens, captured in the late nineteenth century in the Paraíba Valley, it was for a long time considered to be a subspecies of the common tapeti (Sylvilagus brasiliensis). Slightly smaller than its close relative, analysis in 2017 confirmed that it is sufficiently distinct in both appearance and genetics to be considered a species in its own right.^[2] Due to destruction of its putative habitat in the densely populated Paraíba Valley, it is unclear whether or not the species still survives in the present day.^[1]

Coastal tapeti
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Lagomorpha
Family:	Leporidae
Genus:	Sylvilagus
Species:	S. tapetillus
Binomial name
Sylvilagus tapetillus Thomas, 1913
Synonyms
Sylvilagus brasiliensis tapetillus Thomas, 1913

References

1. Ruedas, L.A.; Smith, A.T. (2019). "Sylvilagus tapetillus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T142542759A165117046. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T142542759A165117046.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
2. Ruedas; French; Silva; Platt II; Salazar-Bravo; Mora; Thompson (2017). "A prolegomenon to the systematics of South American cottontail rabbits (Mammalia, Lagomorpha, Leporidae: Sylvilagus): designation of a neotype for S. brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1758), and restoration of S. andinus (Thomas, 1897) and S. tapetillus Thomas, 1913". University of Michigan. 205. ISSN 0076-8405.

Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas