206. Desert Woodrat Neotoma lepida

French: Néotoma du désert / German: Wisten-Buschratte / Spanish: Rata de bosque de desierto

Taxonomy. Neotoma lepida Thomas, 1893, “Utah.” Restricted by E. A. Goldman in 1932 to “somewhere on ‘Simpson’s route’ between Camp Floyd [= Fairfield] (a few miles west of Utah Lake), Utah, and Carson City, Nevada,” USA.

During taxonomic revision of N. lepida group, many of formerly recognized subspecies of N. lepida were subsumed into N. bryanti or N. devia . Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

N. i. lepidaThomas, 1893 — fromSEOregonandSWIdahoSthroughNevadaandWUtahtoSECalifornia (WUSA).

N. ImarshalliGoldman, 1939 — knownonlyfromCarringtonandStansburyIsintheGreatSaltLake, NWUtah (WCUSA). N. i. monstrabilis Goldman, 1932 — E & S Utah, NW Colorado, and NW Arizona (W USA).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 152-179 mm, tail 101-173 mm, ear 19-35 mm, hindfoot 21-35 mm; weight 100-190 g. The Desert Woodrat is similar in size to Bryant’s Woodrat (N. bryanti) but larger than Goldman’s Woodrat (N. goldmani). Dorsal color varies extensively, from grayishblack on dark substrates to pale yellowish-buff on light desert sand and hardpan soils. Hairs on gular region are dark at bases unlike on the White-throated Woodrat (N. albigula) and the White-toothed Woodrat (N. leucodon). Tail of the Desert Woodratis bicolored, gray above and light gray bellow, and sparsely haired. Upper regions of feet are white. Ears are large and hairy. Baculum is long and thin, which differs from most woodrat species. Skull is robust, and bullae are inflated.

Habitat. Rock outcrops and shrub bases in Colorado, Mojave, and Great Basin desert scrub communities, from sea level up to elevations of 2800 m.

Food and Feeding. Diet of the Desert Woodrat includes pods and leaves of mesquite ( Prosopis, Fabaceae); various herbs, leaves, and seeds; chollas; cacti fruits; canutillo ( Ephedra sp., Ephedraceae); and hierba loca ( Astragalus, Fabaceae). Prickly pear fruits and succulent plants serve as a water source.

Breeding. Reproduction generally occurs in October-May. Females produce two litters/year but may have as many as five. Females become sexually active at 2-3 months of age. Gestation lats 30-36 days. Litters have 1-5 young (average 2-7). Weight of newborns and age at weaning depends on size oflitter. If a litter has only two young, they are weaned within 21 days, but if it contains four young, they are weaned as late as 34 days.

Activity patterns. The Desert Woodrat is mainly nocturnal but sometimes crepuscular.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Middens of Deset Woodrats are built in rocky crevices, at bases of shrubs and cacti, or under low hanging tree branches. They are constructed with twigs, pieces of wood, cacti, and rocks, depending on availability of materials. In some areas, entrances are protected with pieces of chollas and prickly pears. Middens are used as nests and to store food and escape predators.

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

Bibliography. Brylski, P (1990c), Goldman (1932a, 1939), Hoffmeister (1986), Jameson & Peeters (1988), Luévano & Mellink (2014b), Patton et al. (2007), Thomas (1893c), Verts & Carraway (2002).