228.

Chiriquian Harvest Mouse

Reithrodontomys garichensis

French: Souris-moissonneuse du Gariché / German: Chiriquia-Erntemaus / Spanish: Raton espiguero de Chiriqui

Taxonomy. Reithrodontomys mexicanus garichensis Enders & Pearson, 1940, Rio Gariché, 5 mi (= 8 km) SW El Volcan Post Office, 3200 ft (= 975 m), Chiriqui Province, Panama.

Reithrodontomys garichensis was considered a subspecies of R. mexicanus . Reithrodontomys garichensis is in subgenus Aporodon. Monotypic.

Distribution. Cordillera de Talamanca of C & SE Costa Rica and W Panama.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 75-79 mm, tail 110-120 mm, ear 13-16 mm, hindfoot 20-21 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Chiriquian Harvest Mouse is similar in size to the Costa Rican Harvest Mouse ( R. cherrii) but with darker and duller dorsal pelage. Tail is longer, and hindfoot lacks bright white edge observed in the Costa Rican Harvest Mouse. Compared with the Costa Rican Harvest Mouse, the Chiriquian Harvest Mouse has a narrower, elongated rostrum.

Habitat. Wet montane forests at elevations of 975-3350 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Chiriquian Harvest Mouse is presumably nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Given the relatively restricted distribution and lack of biological knowledge, the Chiriquian Harvest Mouse should be carefully monitored.

Bibliography. Arellano et al. (2005), Enders & Pearson (1940), Gardner & Carleton (2009), Hooper (1952a).