528.

Quaestor Hocicudo

Oxymycterus quaestor

French: Hocicudo questeur / German: Argentinien-Grabmaus / Spanish: Raton hocicudo cuestor

Taxonomy. Oxymycterus quaestor Thomas, 1903, “Roca Nova, Parana, altitude 1000 m,” Brazil.

Although O. quaestor is treated as monotypic here, following its current concept that includes O. judex and O. misionalis as synonyms, taxonomy of these large sylvan hocicudos deserves more indepth exploration. Monotypic.

Distribution. E Paraguay, NE Argentina, and SE & S Brazil.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 135-180 mm,tail 97-143 mm, ear 21-26 mm, hindfoot 34-40 mm; weight 100 g (mean ofsix specimens from Argentina). See general characters of the genus under the Amazonian Hocicudo ( O. amazonicus) account. The Quaestor Hocicudo is a moderately large species of Oxymycterus . Dorsum is dark orange-brown, strongly lined with black, and sometimes more intensely black on crown and mid-dorsum to reddish brown without black. Venteris dark yellowish gray to dark orange.

Habitat. Mainly moist and dry scrub and subtropical forests, usually trapped in open areas inside forests.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. In Santa Catarina (Brazil), reproduction of the Quaestor Hocicudo was apparently seasonally bimodal, with young found in late spring to summer (November— February) and winter (April-July). Reproductive females were captured in July and January, and lactating females in October. All adult males exhibited scrotal testes.

Activity patterns. The Quaestor Hocicudo is terrestrial and diurnal. Individuals were trapped on the ground in humid and disturbed vegetation.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Quaestor Hocicudos are apparently short-lived because average residency period was c.76 days.

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

Bibliography. Cirignoli et al. (2011), D'Elia & Pardinas (2016a), D'Elia, Mora et al. (2008), Graipel et al. (2006), Hershkovitz (1994), Oliveira (1998), Oliveira & Gongalves (2015), Pecanha (2015), Sanborn (1931).