Dental morphology and wear pattern of bamboo rats, genus Rhizomys gray, 1831 (rodentia: Spalacidae)

Rhizomys, one of the most derived genera within the tribe Rhizomyini (Rhizomyinae, Spalacidae, Rodentia), comprises three species: Rhizomys sinensis Gray, 1831, R. pruinosus Blyth, 1851 and R. sumatrensis(Raffles, 1821). A detailed description of the morphology and wear pattern of the cheek teeth of this taxon is provided based on the study of 41 skulls. The variability tracked is due primarily to wear, control of which facilitates comparison of different individuals, fossil or not, at different wear stages. For the first lower and upper molars, six stages of wear (0-5) are recognized. The second lower and upper molars show five stages of wear (0-4), whereas the third ones have four (0-3). The dental wear pattern in Rhizomys is comparable to that of the Pliocene Brachyrhizomys shansius Teilhard de Chardin, 1942.