198.

Painted Woodrat

Neotoma picta

French: Néotoma coloré / German: Guerrero-Buschratte / Spanish: Rata de bosque pintada

Taxonomy. Neotoma picta Goldman, 1904, mountains near Chilpancingo, 10,000 ft (= 3048 m), Guerrero, Mexico.

Neotoma picta was described in 1904 but was later considered a subspecies of N. ferruginea. Subsequently, N. ferruginea containing subspecific N. f. picta was placed in N. mexicana . Neotoma picta was reelevated to specific status based on genetic data. A revision is needed to determine if other subspecies currently included in N. mexicana should be assigned to N. picta . Monotypic.

Distribution. CE Guerrero and WC Oaxaca states (S Mexico).

Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢.172-173 mm, tail 166-182 mm, hindfoot 33-35-5 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Painted Woodrat is medium-sized, with orange-rufous to ferruginous color along cheeks, shoulders, and sides. Head region and back are darkened by black-tipped hairs. Venter is nearly white to salmon, with plumbeous basal color. Tail is long and slender and covered with short hairs, indistinctly bicolored (dusky above and paler below). Ears are relatively small with short, dusky hairs. Forefeet are yellowish white, hindfeet are dusky or pale fulvous, and toes are white. Skull is less robust; zygomatic arch less arched at anterior.

Habitat. Generally, montane woodlands and shrubby vegetation up to elevations of 3048 m. The Painted Woodrat is typically found along rocky outcroppings associated with cloud forest habitats.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Painted Woodratis presumably nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. There are no known conservation risks facing the Painted Woodrat. Nevertheless, given its endemic status and relatively small distribution, an updated conservation assessment is needed.

Bibliography. Cornely & Baker (1986), Edwards & Bradley (2002), Goldman (1904), Thompson & Bradley (2014).