435.

Andean Pygmy Rice Rat

Oligoryzomys andinus

French: Colilargo des Andes / German: Anden-Zwergreisratte / Spanish: Rata arrocera pigmea de los Andes

Other common names: Andean Colilargo

Taxonomy. Oryzomys andinus Osgood, 1914, Hacienda Llaugueda, 6000 ft (= 1830 m), upper Chicama River, Libertad, Peru.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. W Andean slopes and W Altiplano in W & S Peru and WC Bolivia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 104 mm, tail 149 mm, ear (dry) 16 mm, hindfoot 26 mm (holotype). No specific data are available for body weight. The Andean Pygmy Rice Rat is a medium-sized species of Oligoryzomys, similar to Tschudi’s Pygmy Rice Rat ( O. destructor) but with longer hindfeet and very long tail. Dorsum is pale ocherous, darkened by numerous fine dusky lines; slight ocherous lateral line is present; face and head are somewhat grayish; and underparts are creamy white and sharply differentiated, and hairs have slaty bases. Ears are thinly haired, ocherous basally and internally, and brownish distally and externally. Dorsal surfaces of forefeet and hindfeet are white. Tail is thinly covered with very short hair, brownish above, whitish below for proximal one-half, and gradually dusky toward tip. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 60, FN = 70.

Habitat. Various Andean habitats from dry Pacific slopes to western margins of Altiplano at elevations of 1700-4000 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 Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Carleton & Musser (1989), Musser & Carleton (2005), Osgood (1914b), Weksler & Bonvicino (2015b), Weksler, Zeballos & Bernal (2016), Zeballos et al. (2001).