616.

Yellow-bellied Climbing Rat

Rhipidomys ochrogaster

French: Rhipidomys a ventre jaune / German: Gelbbauch-Neuweltklettermaus / Spanish: Rata trepadora de vientre dorado

Other common names: Buff-bellied Rhipidomys, Yellow-bellied Climbing Mouse

Taxonomy. Rhipidomys ochrogaster J. A. Allen, 1901, “Inca Mines,” Santo Domingo, 1689 m, on the Rio Inambari, Puno, Peru . This species is monotypic.

Distribution. E Andean slope in SE Peru (Puno Region).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 152-154 mm, tail 198-228 mm, ear 19-21 mm, hindfoot 34-5-35 mm; weight 129 g. The Yellow-bellied Climbing Rat is large, with orange-brown dorsal fur and pale orange or melon ventral fur. Tail is dark, considerably longer than head-body length, with long terminal pencil. Hindfootis broad, with metatarsal patch extending onto first phalanges of toes. Ears are small and dark, with very narrow antitragus; auricular patch behind ears is absent; and orbicular ring is dark but narrow. Anus is not protruded. Mystacial vibrissae are very long, extending back far beyond pinna. Ungual tufts on manus cover claws.

Habitat. Humid eastern montane forests or Yungas ecoregion at elevations of 1220-1942 m. Yellow-bellied Climbing Rats were collected in a forest of slender trees c.5 m high, with dense understory and forest floor covered with soillitter at least 3 cm deep.

Food and Feeding. Yellow-bellied Climbing Rats eat seeds and ants, suggesting an omnivorous diet.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Yellow-bellied Climbing Rats have been trapped on the ground, indicating that they might also forage at the ground.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Yellow-bellied Climbing Rat probably deserves a classification of Endangered because it occupies apparently less than 150 km? that is severely fragmented and targeted as a potential center for development. Increasing deforestation ofYungas habitats in Puno Department poses a serious threat.

Bibliography. Allen (1901b), Pacheco & Peralta (2011), Tribe (1996, 2015), Zeballos et al. (2008).