The Order Rodentia represents the largest mammal order, with approximately 42% of species currently known. Rodents have 2,227 species, 468 genera and 33 families recent, the latter being raised to 50 if the extinct families are considered. Their huge variation in morphology, diversity of habitats and climates and food are the causes of this be most numerous and evolutionarily successful among mammalian orders. The Oecomys genus belongs to the subfamily Sigmodontinae (Cricetidae, Rodentia) with approximately 16 described species, distributed in tropical and subtropical forest of Central and South America. Previous cytogenetic studies suggest that Oecomys features large karyotype diversity, with the diploid number ranging from 58 to 86. In this study were analyzed by conventional cytogenetic techniques and multidirectional chromosome painting (using whole chromosome probes of Hylaeamys megacephalus) 18 specimens of Oecomys were analyzed, four were collected in the metropolitan area of Belém, Pará; two in the city of Santa Barbara, Pará; five in the region of Carajás, Pará and 7 in Calha Norte region, Pará. Specimes from Belém Environmental Park had 2n = 72 and FN = 76; specimes from Santa Barbara had 2n = 70 and FN = 74; from Carajás presented 2n = 70 and FN = 72. All this sample was identified as O. paricola. Specimens collected from the Calha Norte region had 2n = 62 and NF = 80 and were identified as O. auyantepui. The cytotypes described for O. paricola showed differences in five HME peaks, indicating 3 associations for this species. O. auyantepui showed five associations. Chromosomal differences found for O. paricola from different geographic regions suggest that these cytotypes belong to cryptic species. We suggest that these populations of O. paricola are a complex of species where the chromosomal differentiation already happened but not the morphological and molecular ones.
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