620.

Sky Climbing Rat

Rhipidomys itoan

French: Rhipidomys céleste / German: Kistenwald-Neuweltklettermaus / Spanish: Rata trepadora del cielo

Other common names: Sky Climbing Mouse, Sky Rhipidomys

Taxonomy. Rhipidomys itoan B. M. A. Costa et al., 2011, Garrafao, 700 m, Parque Nacional da Serra dos Orgios, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This species is monotypic.

Distribution. SE Brazil (Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo states including coastal islands).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 119-165 mm, tail 138-212 mm, ear 12-22 mm, hindfoot 18:5-33-5 mm; weight 49-9-112 g (mean 76-8 g). The Sky Climbing Rat is medium-sized, with tail 107-148% of head-body length. Dorsum is reddish or yellowish brown to dark reddish brown, with short (¢.8 mm) body hairs and longer (c.16 mm) guard hairs; venter is plain white or white, with small areas of light gray at sides of abdomen, sometimes extending to forelimbs, with or without gray spots in pectoral region; dorsal pelage extends a short distance onto tail base; and tail is unicolored along length, covered by short, brown to black hairs that increase in length distally and terminate in short pencil extending up to 10 mm beyond tip. Ears are small to medium, externally brown, with brown or whitish hairs internally. Hindfeet are covered dorso-laterally with white hair that extends onto toes; mid-dorsal surface of toes has patch of light brown or gray hairs.

Habitat. Dense rainforest or coastal forests in the Atlantic Forest.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Reproductive Sky Climbing Rats, including pregnant females, were recorded in early wet season (August-December).

Activity patterns. The Sky Climbing Ratis reported to be partially arboreal. In a markrecapture study, 24 individuals were captured 61 times, always in trees, and remained on the trapping grid for an average of ten months.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Costa et al. (2011), Davis (1945b), Geise (1995), Macedo etal. (2007), Tribe (1996, 2015), Zanchin et al. (1992).