602.

Venezuelan Climbing Rat

Rhpidomys venezuelae

French: Rhipidomys du Venezuela / German: Venezuela-Neuweltklettermaus / Spanish: Rata trepadora de Venezuela

Other common names: Venezuelan Climbing Mouse, Venezuelan Rhipidomys

Taxonomy. Rhipidomys venezuelae Thomas, 1896, “ Merida, Venezuela, alt. 1630 metres.”

Considerable morphological variation and taxonomic uncertainty exists regarding lowland populations associated to R. venezuelae and R. couesi . In addition, R. nitela tobagi from Little Tobago Island might be an insular form of R. venezuelae . Monotypic.

Distribution. N Colombia and N & NW Venezuela.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 120-152 mm, tail 134-188 mm, ear 17-29 mm, hindfoot 26-29 mm; weight 74-81 g. The Venezuelan Climbing Rat is moderately large, with long tail (110-135% of head-body length) and relatively soft fine fur. Dorsum is rich reddish to duller yellowish brown, with slight to moderate agouti effects; sides of head and body are generally paler; and venter is white or cream colored, sometimes with pale gray bases. Tail is pale to medium brown, sometimes darker, and uniformly covered by short hairs that are clearly visible without magnification but do not conceal underlying epidermal scales; terminal tuft is short (rarely longer than 6 mm). Ears are large relative to body size, pale to medium brown. Pes is moderately broad with proportionally rather short and thick digits and pale brown with faint, darker patch over metatarsals. Venezuelan Climbing Rats from moist forests are generally redder than those from dry forests that are grayer.

Habitat. Moist and dry forests. Venezuelan Climbing Rats were trapped in a pre-montane humid forest (710 m elevation) that was previously cultivated for fruit trees and had rich shrub layer.

Food and Feeding. The Venezuelan Climbing Rat eats fruit, seeds, roots, leaves, fungi, and insects (adult and larvae).

Breeding. Based on a two-year trapping study, sexual maturity was probably reached at c.3 months of age, average litter size was 3-8 young (3-5 embryos/female), average number of litters per year was 3-5, and estimated annual productivity was 13-3 young/female.

Activity patterns. The Venezuelan Climbing Rat is nocturnal and scansorial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Relative abundance of trapped individuals varied seasonally between dry (typicallyJanuary—April) and wet seasons (June— Noven:ber). Mean density was 1-1 ind/ha (range 0-3-5), juvenile survivorship was 35%, and estimated mean residency was 26 days for males and 138 days for females.

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

Bibliography. Gbmez-Laverde (2016), Goodwin (1961), Handley (1976), Linares (1998), O'Connell (1981, 1989), Tribe (2015).