409.

Long-whiskered Rice Rat

Transandinomys bolivaris

French: Oryzomys du Bolivar / German: Simon-BolivarReisratte / Spanish: Rata arrocera de vibrisas largas

Other common names: Bolivar Rice Rat, Long-whiskered Oryzomys

Taxonomy. Oryzomys bolivaris J. A. Allen, 1901, Porvenir, Bolivar, Ecuador, 1800 m.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. E Honduras through E Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama to W Colombia and W Ecuador.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 100-140 mm, tail 90-130 mm, ear 18-21 mm, hindfoot 27-35 mm; weight 39-75 g. The Long-whiskered Rice Rat is medium-sized, with moderately long tail and dark brown to grayish brown dorsum, almost blackish in its midline, degrading to yellowish brown toward flanks. Venter is whitish gray. Legs are long and narrow. Mystacial and superciliary vibrissae are extremely long (more than 45 mm). Toes are thin, with long hairs extending over all claws, except on thumb. Soles of feet are entirely smooth. Tailis thin and uniform in color or hardly bicolored; ventral one-half toward tail base is somewhat paler. Tail is 90-95% of head-body length, naked in appearance but finely covered with small hairs. Females have four pairs of mammae. Chromosomal complementis 2n = 58, FN = 80.

Habitat. [Lowland evergreen to lower montane cloud forest from sea level to c.1800 m. The Long-whiskered Rice Rat is typically trapped in very moist microenvironments in the forest, under logs, around bases of large trees, among mossy boulders along small forest streams, and in low terrain subject to flooding.

Food and Feeding. [.ong-whiskered Rice Rats eat fruits, seeds, herbaceous vegetation, and insects.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. [.ong-whiskered Rice Rats are noctunal. They are terrestrial and are good climbers, but they do not climb too high.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List. Nevertheless, the Long-whiskered Rice Rat is threatened by deforestation, especially in western Colombia and Ecuador.

Bibliography. Allen (1901c), Carleton (2015b), Gémez-Laverde & Pino (2016), Gonzalez & Alberico (1993), Musser, Carleton et al. (1998), Pine (1971), Timm et al. (1989), Weksler et al. (2006).