226.

Small-toothed Harvest Mouse

Reithrodontomys microdon

French: Souris-moissonneuse a petites dents / German: Kleinzahn-Erntemaus / Spanish: Raton espiguero de dientes pequenos

Taxonomy. Reithrodontomys microdon Merriam, 1901, “Todos Santos, Guatemala (altitude 10,000 ft. [= 3048 m]).”

Reithrodontomys microdon is in subgenus Aporodon. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

R.m.microdonMerriam,1901—fromCChiapasState(SEMexico)StoCGuatemala.

R.m.albilabrisMerriam,1901—NCOaxacaState(SMexico).

R. m. wagner Hooper, 1950 — from C Michoacan E to México states (C Mexico).

Descriptive notes. Head-body c.68-70 mm, tail 101-117 mm, ear 16-19 mm, hindfoot 19-21 mm; weight 20 g. The Small-toothed Harvest Mouse is mediumto large-sized. Dorsal pelage is thick and cinnamon-orange to dark reddish brown. Venter is whitish to bright orangish or pinkish cinnamon. Eyes have distinct black rings. Hindfeet are blackish, sometimes rimmed with white. Tail is unicolored and blackish.

Habitat. Hillsides and canyons in pine-fir and pine-oak forests at elevations of 2225— 3050 m. Small-toothed Harvest Mice prefer typical cloud forest, montane grassland and shrubland (zacatonal), or volcanic habitat where undergrowth consists of ferns, mosses, and shrubs.

Food and Feeding. The Small-toothed Harvest Mouse feeds on seeds, grains, grasses, and other vegetation.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Small-toothed Harvest Mouse is the most arboreal and specialized species of Reithrodontomys . It is presumably nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Because populations of Small-toothed Harvest Mice are supposedly declining, further investigation is needed to accurately assess its conservation status.

Bibliography. Hall (1981), Hooper (1950, 1952a), Merriam (1901b), M{idespacher & Gaona (2014), Sanchez (1993).