205.

Angel de la Guarda Woodrat

Neotoma insularis

French: Néotoma d/Angel de la Guarda / German: Insel-Buschratte / Spanish: Rata de bosque de Angel de la Guarda

Taxonomy. Neotoma insularis Townsend, 1912, Isla Angel de la Guarda, Baja California Norte, Mexico.

Neotoma insularis was previously considered a member of the N. lepida complex, but recent anlyses of mtDNA data, cranial morphology, and unique male phalus provided evidence to recognize N. insularis as distinct species. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality and surrounding areas on Angel de la Guarda I, Baja California State (NW Mexico).

Descriptive notes. Head-body c.174-178 mm, tail 113-162 mm, ear 27-38 mm, hindfoot 30-5-37 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Angel de la Guarda Woodrat is medium-sized, closely resembling the Desert Woodrat (N. lepida). Dorsum is pinkish buff to buffy gray; venter is lighter gray. Tail is bicolored and short, c.71% of head-body length. Rostrum is visibly shorter and stouter than in the Desert Woodrat. Zygomatic arches are squared broad anteriorly and posteriorly, and septum of incisive foramen consists of short vomerine part and elongated vacuity. Auditory bullae are long and narrow. Dentition is heavier than in the Desert Woodrat, and anteromedial flexus of anteroloph of M' shallow except in young individuals.

Habitat. Very arid (100 mm rain annually) habitats with cholla ( Cylindropuntia) and various cacti (both Cactaceae), palo verde ( Parkinsonia, Fabaceae), and elephant trees ( Bursera, Burseraeae). It is unclear if the Angel de la Guarda Woodrat uses all habitats in the elevational range of 0-1300 m on Isla Angel del la Guarda (second largestisland in the Gulf of California). The few localities of specimens are from northern and southern tips of the island, which may be due to difficulty accessing the center of the island.

Food and Feeding. Angel de la Guarda Woodrats presumably feed on cacti to some degree.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Angel de la Guarda Woodrat is presumably nocturnal.

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Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. The Angel de la Guarda Woodrat is considered under threat of extinction because recent attempts to obtain specimens have failed, leading some experts to believe it is already extinct.

Bibliography. Alvarez-Castafieda & Cortés-Calva (1999), Case etal. (2002), Mauldin & Bradley (2014), Patton et al. (2007), Townsend (1912).