727.

Peruvian Leaf-eared Mouse

Phyllotis gerbillus

French: Phyllotis gerbille / German: Peru-Blattohrmaus / Spanish: Raton orejudo de Pert

Other common names: Gerbil Leaf-eared Mouse

Taxonomy. Phyllotis gerbillus Thomas, 1900, “ Piura, N.W. Peru, alt. 50 m. ”

Type species of the genus Paralomys described by O. Thomas in 1926, now considered synonym of Phyllotys. Monotypic.

Distribution. Sechura Desert in NW Peru.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 77-96 mm, tail 62-90 mm, ear 14-17 mm, hindfoot 18-21 mm; weight 15-5 g. The Peruvian Leaf-eared Mouse is the smallest species of Phyllotis . Dorsal pelage of head and body is ocherous or salmon, finely peppered with dark brown. Upper one-half of sides of body are back but hair tips are not dark, and lower one-half is entirely white like underparts. Hairs of limbs, cheeks, and sides of rostrum are white. Ears are comparatively small; white preauricular spots are usually present. Hindfeet are broad and short, with six welldeveloped plantar pads on each. Tail is shorter than head-body length, thinly haired throughout, and overall white in color (occasionally with dark hair or patch of hairs), with terminal rudimentary pencil. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 38, FN = 72.

Habitat. Coastal, mounded loose sand dunes several meters high and 50% covered with low green shrubs, principally thick-leaved evergreens such as Capparis scabrida and C. avicenniifolia (both Capparaceae) and the deciduous legume Prosopisjuliflora ( Fabaceae).

Food and Feeding. The Peruvian Leaf-cared Mouse is probably granivorous;it spends the day underground and does not need to drink free water.

Breeding. Fight pregnant Peruvian Leaf-eared Mice had 1-4 embryos (average three).

Activity patterns. The Peruvian Leaf-eared Mouse is nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Braun (1993), Cabrera (1961), Koford (1968), Musser & Carleton (2005), Pearson (1972), Steppan (1993), Steppan & Ramirez (2015), Zeballos & Vivar (2016e).