461.

White-throated Montane Forest Rat

Drymoreomys albimaculatus

French: Oryzomys a gorge blanche / German: Serra-do-MarReisratte / Spanish: Rata de bosque de montana de garganta blanca

Taxonomy. Drymoreomys albimaculatus Percequillo, Weksler & L. P. Costa, 2011, Base do Carmo, 700 m, Parque Estadual Intervales, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Drymoreomys albimaculatus is the type species of the genus. Monotypic.

Distribution. Serra do Mar in SE Brazil (from Sao Paulo to Santa Catarina states).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 115-149 mm, tail 142-176 mm, ear 20 mm, hindfoot 28-30 mm; weight 46-5-58 g¢. The White-throated Montane Forest Rat is medium-sized, with long tail (118-132% of head-body length), small ears (13-16% of head-body length), and short pes (19-24% of head-body length). Dorsal fur is very long, extremely dense, lax, and dull orange to fulvous buff, weakly grizzled with reddish brown; ventral pelage is woolly and grayish, except in gular and thoracic regions with pure white hair. Ears are rounded and covered with short golden hair. Mystacial vibrissae usually extend posteriorly beyond pinnae when laid back. Dorsal surface of manus is covered by brown hairs, and digits are covered with white and silvery hairs. Pes is short and moderately wide; plantar pads are very large and fleshy, and dorsal surface of pes is densely covered with brown hair. Tail is unicolored and densely covered with short and stiff brown hair. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 62, FN = 62.

Habitat. Atlantic Forest environments of dense and humid primary and secondary montane and premontane forests on eastern slopes of the Serra do Mar at elevations of 650-1200 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. The White-throated Montane Forest Rat breeds year-round.

Activity patterns. The White-throated Montane Forest Rat is nocturnal. It has anatomical characteristics of arboreal taxa (e.g. very developed plantar pads) but has been collected almost exclusively on the ground in pitfall traps.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on [UCN Red List. Taking into account fragmented nature of Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil, it has been suggested that the White-throated Montane Forest Rat should be classified as Near Threatened.

Bibliography. Bueno (2008), Pardini & Umetsu (2006), Percequillo & Weksler (2015), Percequillo, Weksler & Costa (2011), Suérez-Villota et al. (2013).