723.

Otro Cerro Pericote

Graomys edithae

French: Pericote d'Otro Cerro / German: Edith-Neuweltfeldratte / Spanish: Pericote de Cerro Otro

Other common names: Edith's Leaf-eared Mouse

Taxonomy. Graomys edithae Thomas, 1919, Otro Cerro, 3000 m, Catamarca, Argentina. Clarified by U. F. J. Pardinas and colleagues in 2007 as “an abandoned ranch in the southern end of the Sierra de Ambato, Capayan, Catamarca.”

Records referred to G. edithae from Chumbicha in Catamarca Province belong to G. griseoflavus . Monotypic.

Distribution. Restricted to the type locality in S top of Ambato Range, NW Argentina .

Descriptive notes. Head-body 108 mm, tail 127 mm, ear 20 mm, hindfoot 25 mm (from holotype). No specific data are available for body weight. The Otro Cerro Pericote 1s the smallest species of Graomys . Dorsal color is similar to that of the Common Pericote (G. griseoflavus) but without buffy wash on sides of latter. Underparts are white, as on the Chaco Pericote ( G. chacoensis), lacking slaty base characteristic of the Pale Pericote (G. domorum) and some populations of the Common Pericote. Tail is absolutely and proportionately shorter than that of the Common Pericote,less heavily haired terminally but bicolored, brown above and white below. Skull is a miniature of congeners but notable for absence of beading on supraorbital edges.

Habitat. Grasslands at the top of the Ambato Range.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Otro Cerro Pericote is only known from its holotype collected in 1919. Type locality is hard to access because there are no roads. Only a single short field effort has been made in Otro Cerro since 1919, and no Otro Cerro Pericotes were collected.

Bibliography. Braun & Patton (2015), Contreras (1982b), Fonollat et al. (1985), Hershkovitz (1962), Kihlhorn (1952), Myers (1977), Ojeda, Jayat & Pardinas (2008), Pardifas et al. (2007), Pearson (1958), Puig & Nani (1981), Thomas (1919c¢), Tiranti (1998a), Williams & Mares (1978).