721.

Pale Pericote

Graomys domorum

French: Pericote pale / German: Fahle Neuweltfeldratte / Spanish: Pericote palido

Other common names: Pale Leaf-eared Mouse

Taxonomy. Eligmodontia domorum Thomas, 1902, Tapacari, 3000 m, Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Three subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

G.d.domorumThomas,1902—SCBolivia(Cochabamba,SantaCruz,NPotosi,andChuquisacadepartments).

G.d.lockwoodiThomas,1918—NWArgentina(Jujuy,Salta,andTucumanprovinces).

G. d. taterona Thomas, 1926 — S Bolivia (S Potosi and Tarija departments).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 102-150 mm, tail 140-170 mm, ear 20-27 mm, hindfoot 26-32 mm; weight 38-60 g. The Pale Pericote is slightly larger than the Chaco Pericote ( G. chacoensis). Overall dorsum is olivaceous to rufous; sides are clear buffy; and hairs on ventral surface are dark basally but white to their bases on throat. Ears are finely haired and grayish brown. Upper surfaces of forefeet and hindfeet are white. Tail is long and prominently bicolored, dark brown above and white below;tail tip differs from other species of Graomys by being much less tufted terminally, with pencil rarely longer than 4 mm. Skull is similar to congeners, except bullae are conspicuously small. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 28, FN = 46.

Habitat. Yungas and transitional forests at elevations of 600-2700 m. Recorded from a large variety of habitats including from pre-Puna grasslands to low montane wet and drier forests.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. The Pale Pericote apparently breeds in summer.

Activity patterns. The Pale Pericote is nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red Last.

Bibliography. Anderson (1997), Braun & Patton (2015), Dunnum, Bernal, Diaz et al. (2016), Hershkovitz (1962), Mares, Ojeda & Kosco (1981), Martinez & Gardenal (2016), Pearson (1958), Pearson & Patton (1976), Reig (1978), Thomas (1902b, 1918, 1926a).