| Bassaricyon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Northern olingo (Bassaricyon gabbii) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Procyonidae |
| Subfamily: | Potosinae |
| Genus: | Bassaricyon Allen, 1876 |
| Type species | |
| Bassaricyon gabbii | |
| Species | |
ThegenusBassaricyon consists of smallNeotropicalprocyonids, popularly known asolingos (/ɒˈlɪŋɡoʊz/), cousins of theraccoon. They are native to therainforests ofCentral andSouth America fromNicaragua toPeru.[1] They arearboreal andnocturnal, and live at elevations from sea level to 2,750 m (9,020 ft).[2] Olingos closely resemble another procyonid, thekinkajou, inmorphology and habits, though they lackprehensile tails and extrudable tongues, have more extendedmuzzles, and possess analscent glands. However, the two genera are notsisters.[3] They also resemblegalagos and certainlemurs.
There is disagreement on the number of species in this genus, with some taxonomists splitting the populations into as many as five species (addingB. pauli to the list below), two species (droppingB. medius andB. neblina), or just a single species (B. gabbi).[4] Until recently, only thenorthern olingo (B. gabbii) was particularly well-known, and it was usually confusingly referred to simply as an olingo. Olingos are quite rare in zoos and are often misidentified askinkajous.
A previously unrecognized olingo, similar to but distinct fromB. alleni, was discovered in 2006 byKristofer Helgen at Las Maquinas in theAndes ofEcuador.[5] He named this speciesB. neblina orolinguito and presented his findings on August 15, 2013.[6]
With data derived from anatomy, morphometrics, nuclear andmitochondrial DNA, field observations, and geographic range modeling, Helgen and coworkers demonstrated that four olingo species can be recognized:[2]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern lowland olingo
| Bassaricyon alleni Thomas, 1880 | Lowlands ofGuyana,Venezuela, and inColombia,Ecuador, Peru andBolivia east of theAndes | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Northern olingo
| Bassaricyon gabbii Allen, 1876 Three subspecies
| Central American, lowlands and highlands of Nicaragua,Costa Rica, and westernPanama | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Western lowland olingo
| Bassaricyon medius Thomas, 1909 | Lowlands of Panama and in Colombia and Ecuador west of the Andes | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Olinguito
| Bassaricyon neblina Helgen, Pinto, Kays, Helgen, Tsuchiya, Quinn, Wilson & Maldonado,, 2013 | A montane species endemic tocloud forests in the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador[2] | Size: Habitat: Diet: | NT |
Genetic studies have shown that the closest relatives of the olingos are actually thecoatis;[2][3] the divergence between the two groups is estimated to have occurred about 10.2 million years (Ma) ago during theTortonian age,[2] while kinkajous split off from the otherextant procyonids about 22.6 Ma ago during theAquitanian age.[7] The similarities between kinkajous and olingos are thus an example ofparallel evolution.
The diversification of the genus apparently started about 3.5 million years ago, whenB. neblina branched off from the others;B. gabbii then split off about 1.8 Ma ago, and the two lowland species,B. alleni andB. medius, diverged about 1.3 Ma ago.[2] The dating and biogeography modeling suggest that the earliest diversification of the genus took place in northwestern South America shortly after the ancestors of olingos first invaded the continent from Central America as part of theGreat American Interchange.[2] The evolution of olingos thus contrasts with that of kinkajous, a much older lineage that is thought to have arisen in Central America long before they reached South America.[3]
| Bassaricyon |
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Data related toBassaricyon at Wikispecies
Media related toBassaricyon at Wikimedia Commons| National | |
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| Other | |
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