725.

Haggard’s Leaf-eared Mouse

Phyllotis haggardi

French: Phyllotis de Haggard / German: Haggard-Blattohrmaus / Spanish: Raton orejudo de Haggard

Other common names: Ecuadorean Pericote

Taxonomy. Phyllotis haggardi Thomas, 1898, “Mount Pichincha, [Pichincha Province, | Ecuador, altitude 3400-4000 metres.”

Morphological variation including in the current concept of P. haggardi is large. At least two nominal forms, P. elegantulus and P. fuscus, with type localities in Ecuador, were used to distinguish putative races within P. haggardi, along with the nominotypical form. In the current scheme of Phyllotis species in northern Andes, validity of trinomial classification must be thoroughly checked. Monotypic.

Distribution. W & E Andes slopes in Ecuador; exact limits unknown.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 99-115 mm, tail 72-89 mm, ear 22 mm, hindfoot 23 mm; weight 29-30 g. Haggard’s Leaf-eared Mouse is a small species of Phyllotis, with short ears, buffy to dark brown dorsum, and head and rump not markedly different from back. Venter is gray, well-defined from sides, and usually lacking even hint of pectoral streak. Tail is short, bicolored, and covered with short hairs and virtually no terminal tuft. Palate is relatively long for a species of Phyllotis, large postero-palatal pits tend to be sunk in depressions, and upper tooth rows tend to converge posteriorly. Haggard’s Leaf-eared Mouse and the Andean Leaf-eared Mouse ( P. andium) can be identified in hand because the former has bicolored tail typically greater than 95 mm in adults, and the latter has a unicolored tail that is usually less than 85 mm. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 38, FN = 72.

Habitat. Upperslopes on both sides of the Andes,typically in open paramo with shrub cover limited to rockier more exposed habitats at elevations of 2500-4500 m. Haggard’s Leaf-eared Mouse was abundant in Polylepis (Rosaceae) forests in Cajas National Park. Apparently, it is also recorded at elevations less than 2000 m in northern parts of its distribution.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Female Haggard’s Leaf-eared Mice with reproductive signals were recorded between June and October (dry season) at Cajas Plateau.

Activity patterns. Haggard’s Leaf-eared Mouse is terrestrial and nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Anthony (1924b), Barnett (1999), Brito & Ojala-Barbour (2016), Cérdova & Santillan (2006), Moreno & Roman (2013), Naylor & Roach (2016), Pacheco et al. (2014), Pearson (1972), Pozo-Zamora et al. (2017), Steppan & Ramirez (2015), Thomas (1898e, 1913a), Tirira (2007), Vallejo & Boada (2017a).