420.

Western Amazonian Rice Rat

Hylaeamys perenensis

French: Oryzomys de Perené / German: \Westamazonas-Reisratte / Spanish: Rata arrocera del Amazonas occidental

Other common names: Western Amazonian Hylaeamys, Western Amazonian Oryzomys

Taxonomy. Oryzomys perenensis J. A. Allen, 1901, “Perené, Department ofJunin, Peru.; altitude 800 m. ” Clarified by L. Stephens and M. A. Traylor in 1983 as Valle Perené, Colonia del Perené; a coffee plantation atjunction of rios Paucartambo and Chanchamayo, 1000 m.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. E Andes Range and W margins of Amazon Basin, including C & E Colombia, E Ecuador, Peru, W Brazil, and NW Bolivia.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 81-169 mm, tail 94-154 mm, ear 18-24 mm, hindfoot 30-35 mm; weight 45-84 g. The Western Amazonian Rice Rat is medium-sized, with yellowish ocherto intensely stained with dark brown to reddish brown dorsum. Venter is primarily gray. Muzzle is long and pronounced. Ears are large, long, well-pointed, blackish to dark brown, and bare in appearance; they reach eyes when tilted forward. Vibrissae are thin and short, and when tilted backward, they hardly reach ears. Tail is shorter than head-body length and usually unicolored although some are slightly bicolored. Dorsal surfaces of hindlegs are whitish. Soles of feet are blackish and scarcely covered with indistinct scales distal to tuft. Hypotenary pads are medium in size. Female has four pairs of mammae: axial, pectoral, abdominal, and inguinal pairs.

Habitat. Primary, secondary, and gallery forests and edges in lowlands and foothills at elevations of ¢.65—-1000 m. Western Amazonian Rice Rats are less frequent in disturbed areas, crop fields, and open areas close to human presence. They prefer areas near bodies of water, big or small.

Food and Feeding. The Western Amazonian Rice Rat eats fruits and seeds.

Breeding. Reproduction of the Western Amazonian Rice Rat occurs year-round. Females give birth to 2-5 young.

Activity patterns. Western Amazonian Rice Rats are exclsively terrestrial and nocturnal, although they are sometimes active during the day .

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Western Amazonian Rice Rat is solitary.

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

Bibliography. Anderson (1997), Costa (2003), Musser, Carleton et al. (1998), Patton et al. (2000), Percequillo (2015e), Stephens & Traylor (1983), Tirira (2007), Weksler & Tirira (2016a), Weksler et al. (2006).