690.

Woolly Soft-haired Mouse

Abrothrix lanosa

French: Abrothrix laineux / German: Wollige Andenfeldmaus / Spanish: Raton de pelaje suave lanudo

Other common names: \Woolly Akodont, Woolly Grass Mouse

Taxonomy. Oxymycterus lanosus Thomas, 1897, “Monteith Bay, Straits of Magellan.” Clarified by M. Feijoo and colleagues in 2010 as Seno Monteith, Anafur, Madre de Dios Archipelago, Chile.

Abrothrix lanosa is in the subgenus Abrothrix . Chilean typical A. lanosa is readily distinguishable from individuals of southernmost Argentina and Chile by reddish brilliant backs, well-contrasted with gray bellies, which may merit taxonomic distinction after additional research. Monotypic.

Distribution. S Chile and S Argentina, including extreme EC Santa Cruz Province and S Tierra del Fuego.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 96 and 96 mm,tail 63 and 70 mm, ear 12 and 12 mm, hindfoot 23 and 23 mm; weight 22 and 21-5 g (mean values for Argentinean and Chilean samples, respectively). See general characters of the genus under the Long-haired Soft-haired Mouse (A. longipilis) account. The Woolly Soft-haired Mouse is one of the smallest species of Abrothrix, characterized by its minute eyes and ears and shorttail of ¢.65% of head— body length. Dorsal pelage is dense, soft, woolly, and composed almost entirely of gray hairs with ocheroustips, giving a general yellowish olive color (reddish in northern Chilean specimens); belly is also gray but with whitish hair tips producing somewhat frosted appearance. Rhinarium and lips are covered by extremely short, thin, and delicate hairs; small dirty white spot occurs on nose. Ears are short, with rounded pinnae, internally and externally covered by delicate agouti hairs. Mystacial vibrissae are abundant, bright, and moderately long but do not surpass ears when laid back alongside head. Tailis strongly bicolored, dorsally darker and ventrally much paler, and conspicuously haired with long and partially rigid hairs. Dorsal surfaces of manus and pes are covered by short and thin white to cream hairs; minute scales under these hairs produce finely mottled appearance. Ungualtufts are pure white and shorter than claws. Palmar and plantar surfaces are covered by minute scales. Sharp and moderately developed (c.2 mm) claws occur on manus.

Habitat. Open-habitats, mainly shrublands or shrubland-grassland steppes, associated with, or very close, to Nothofagus (Nothofagaceae) forest but not actually inside it. Woolly Soft-haired Mice recorded in Tierra del Fuego Island were obtained from coastal localities with well-developed soils and dense vegetation cover ofJunellia tridens ( Verbenaceae) outside, although very close to the edge of nearby Fueguian forest. In mainland, it prefers cool, damp habitat. Chilean individuals were captured in peat bogs, Nothofagus forests, or low matorral—all very moist habitats associated with the coast.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Woolly Soft-haired Mice with reproductive signals were recorded in summer (January-March).

Activity patterns. At least during austral summer (January-March), the Woolly Soft-haired Mouse is basically nocturnal. Some diurnal trapping has been recorded. Terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Captive Woolly Soft-haired Mice are docile and easy to manage with bare hands.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern by The IUCNRed List (as A. lanosus).

Bibliography. Allen (1905), D'Elia (2016c), D’Elia, Teta et al. (2015), Feijoo et al. (2010), Galliari & Pardinas (1999), Guzman (2010), Patterson et al. (2015), Pine et al. (1978), Rau et al. (1978), Reise & Venegas (1987), Teta et al. (2006), Thomas (1897b).