684.

Guafo Island Long-clawed Mouse

Geoxus lafkenche

French: Géoxus de Guafo / German: Guafo-Langkrallenmaus / Spanish: Raton topo de Guafo

Taxonomy. Geoxus lafkenche Teta & D’Elia, 2017, Punta Weather, Guafo Island, Region de Los Lagos, Chile.

Geoxus lafkenche was erected as a distinct species mostly based on cytochrome-b differences against mainland populations of Geoxus . Morphological differences are subtle and based on two specimens. A proper comparison with the form chiloensis from neighboring Chiloé Island was not performed. In this context, validity and nomenclatorial implications of lafkenche remain debatable. Monotypic.

Distribution. Guafo I (SW of Chiloé I), Chile.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 106 mm, tail 67-67 mm, ear 12-12-5 mm, hindfoot 14-15 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Pelage of the Guafo Island Long-clawed Mouse is long, thick, and somewhat coarse; dorsal hairs are dark gray at bases and dark brown at tips; ventral hairs are similar to those of dorsum but paler; pinnae are small, semicircular, and externally visible;tail is well-covered with hair and almost entirely dark brown; manus and pes are dorsally covered by short brown hairs; manual claws are well-developed (c.5 mm); and mystacial vibrissae are short.

Habitat. Dense coastal forest mostly of southern beech ( Nothofagus dombeyi, Nothofagaceae), accompanied by trees Laureliopsis philippiana ( Atherospermataceae), Podocarpus nubigenus ( Podocarpaceae), and Weinmannia trichosperma ( Cunoniaceae).

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. The Guafo Island Longclawed Mouse is restricted to a small island where human activities and introducted alien species are widespread.

Bibliography. Osgood (1925), Teta & D’Elia (2017).