507.

Zuniga’s Dark Rice Rat

Melanomys zunigae

French: Mélanomys de Zuniga / German: Zuniga-Dunkelreisratte / Spanish: Rata arrocera de Zuniga

Other common names: Zuniga’s Melanomys

Taxonomy. Oryzomys (Melanomys) zunigae Sanborn, 1949, Lomas de Atocongo, Lima Department, Peru.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Cerro San Jeronimo and Lomas de Atocongo, WC Peru.

Descriptive notes. Head-body not given, tail 81-105 mm, hindfoot 23-28 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. See general characters of the genus under the Black-and-Yellow Rice Rat ( M. chrysomelas) account. Dorsum of Zuniga’s Dark Rice Rat is dark brown, becoming paler on sides; underparts are paler brown, mixed with grayish black but with pale tips; forefeet and hindfeet are brown rather than black. Tail is shorter than head-body length and bicolored, blackish brown above and slightly paler below. Incisive foramina are long and extended posteriorly to between first molars.

Habitat. Coastal Lomas ecosystem (desert or dryland habitat) with mesic vegetation along streams and on hilltops, as a product of sporadic moisture from fog in winter, at elevations of 600-800 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red Lust. Zuniga’s Dark Rice Rat has not been recorded since 1949 despite intensive searches. The population could have suffered a decline greater than 80% (if it is still extant), and collection localities continue to experience severe decline in extent and quality of habitat.

Bibliography. Eisenberg & Redford (1999), Mena et al. (2007), Musser & Carleton (2005), Pacheco (2002), Pacheco et al. (2009), Sanborn (1949), Weksler & Léss (2015), Zeballos & Vivar (2008a), Zuniga (1942).