460.

Peruvian Rice Rat

Oreoryzomys balneator

French: Oryzomys de Banos / German: Peru-Reisratte / Spanish: Rata arrocera de Peru

Other common names: Ecuadorean Oreoryzomys

Taxonomy. Oryzomys balneator Thomas, 1900, “Mirador, 20 miles [= 32 km] E. of Banos [Tungurahua], Oriente of Ecuador. Altitude 1500 m [= 457 m].”

Oreoryzomys is sister to Microryzomys in molecular-based phylogenies; both genera are morphologically similar, suggesting that the former could be a junior synonym of the latter. A single record from El Chiral, El Oro (Ecuador), in the western slope of the Andes is pending taxonomic review for determineits true identity. Monotypic.

Distribution. E Andes Range in Ecuador and NE Peru.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 75-94 mm, tail 95-120 mm, hindfoot 23-5-27 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Dorsal pelage of the Peruvian Rice Rat is dense, with short and dark ocherous hair, densely grizzled with dark brown. Ventral pelage is grayish to buffy gray. Mystacial vibrissae are dense, thick, and long, extending beyond posterior margin of pinnae when bent. Ears are short and rounded. Tail is longer than head-body length, whitish along its basal one-half, with distal one-half uniformly dark brown; tail tip can be white in some specimens. Hindfeet are narrow and delicate, covered dorsally with short bicolored hair (brown proximally and white distally, or entirely white), and ungual tufts are short and do not conceal claws.

Habitat. Montane and cloud forest at elevations of 1500-2300 m. Type locality is rainy, cold, and windy and has a matrix of vegetation with sharp contrasts, including paramo mixed with temperate plants in valleys, intermixing with extensive areas of subtropical forest.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Peruvian Rice Rat is terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Peruvian Rice Rat still faces taxonomic uncertainty, and there is no recent information on its natural history.

Bibliography. Brito & Ojala-Barbour (2016), Eisenberg & Redford (1999), Musser & Carleton (2005), Pacheco et al. (2009), Percequillo (2015h), Tirira, Boada & Weksler (2008b), Weksler et al. (2006).