621.

Southern Climbing Rat

Rhipidomys austrinus

French: Rhipidomys austral / German: Sidliche Neuweltklettermaus / Spanish: Rata trepadora meridional

Other common names: Southern Andean Rhipidomys, Southern Climbing Mouse

Taxonomy. Rhipidomys austrinus Thomas, 1921, “Sunchal, 1200 m,” Sierra de Santa Barbara, Jujuy, Argentina .

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. WC Bolivia S to N Argentina .

Descriptive notes. Head-body 125-137 mm, tail 136-165 mm, ear 24-25 mm, hindfoot 28-33 mm; weight 51-70 g. Moderately large rat with soft and dense grayish brown to bright orange-brown-agouti dorsal pelage and sharp lateral transition line; ventral pelage also soft with creamy white tips and medium to dark gray hair bases. Hindfeet are medium to large and broad, with distinctly outlined dark patch extending to bases of second to fifth digit. Tail is 110-135% of head-body length, medium to dark brown, with short hairs on shaft and short to medium terminal pencil. Ears are large and oval.

Habitat. Densely forested valleys of the Yungas ecoregion, primary and secondary Yungas forest, cultivated areas, and transitional forests at elevations of 360-2000 m

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. One female Southern Climbing Rat had two embryos when captured in May.

Activity patterns. The Southern Climbing Rat is arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Anderson (1997), Diaz & Barquez (2007), Jayat (2016b), Massoia (1989), Thomas (1921c), Tribe (1996, 2015).