Tympanoctomys is a genus of rodent in the family Octodontidae. There are three extant species in the genus: T. barrerae,[2]T. kirchnerorum[3] and T. loschalchalerosorum.[4]T. loschalchalerosorum was formerly considered to be monotypic within the genus Salinoctomys, but has been shown by genetic analysis to nest within the variation of T. barrerae.[4]
All species are endemic to central western Argentina, where the genus has a fragmented range. Their natural habitat is desert scrubland, dunes and salt flats, where they eat halophyte plants. They are solitary, nocturnal rodents that construct large mounds with complex burrows.[3]
^ abSuárez-Villota, E. Y.; González-Wevar, C. A.; Gallardo, M. H.; Vásquez, R. A.; Poulin, E. (December 2016). "Filling phylogenetic gaps and the biogeographic relationships of the Octodontidae (Mammalia: Hystricognathi)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 105: 96–101. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.08.015. hdl:10533/227937.