548.

White-chinned Akodont

Necromys lactens

French: Akodon a menton blanc / German: \Weil3kehl-Graslandmaus / Spanish: Raton cavador de barbilla blanca

Other common names: Rufous-bellied Bolo Mouse

Taxonomy. Akodon lactens Thomas, 1918, “Leon [Leon], Jujuy, [Argentina] 1500 m.” This species is monotypic.

Distribution. SC Bolivia (Cochabamba, Chuquisaca, and Tarija departments) and NW Argentina (Jujuy, Salta, Catamarca, and Tucuman provinces).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 98-124 mm, tail 63-89 mm, ear 11-17 mm, hindfoot 23— 29 mm; weight 30-50 g. See general char acters of the genus under the Ecuadorean Akodont (N. punctulatus) account. The White-chinned Akodont is a medium-sized species of Necromys . Dorsum is buffy brown,finely lined with black; sides are paler and fulvous or cinnamon in some specimens; and venter is cinnamon, with contrasting white spot on chin or throat. Some specimens have well-developed eye-rings. Vibrissae are relatively short, and ears are densely furred with brown hair. Claws are relatively long and covered with tuft of white hair. Tail is short bicolored, dorsally blackish brown and ventrally whitish or buffy.

Habitat. Grasslands in eastern Andean highlands at elevations of 1400-4000 m (mostly 1500-3100 m in the highest vegetation belts of the Yungas ecoregion).

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Female White-chinned Akodonts with closed vaginas and males with abdominal testes were recorded in July and September, and a female with developed mammae was recorded in July. Reproduction apparently occurs mainly in November—April, and shedding in autumn and winter (May-July).

Activity patterns. The White-chinned Akodont is nocturnal and diurnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Anderson (1997), Anderson & Olds (1989), Diaz & Barquez (2007), Diaz et al. (2000), Dunnum, Vargas, Bernal & Jayat (2016), Jayat & Pacheco (2006), Jayat, D'Elia et al. (2016), Jayat, Ortiz & Miotti (2008), Jayat, Ortiz, Teta et al. (2006), Ortiz et al. (2000), Pardinas, Teta, Ortiz et al. (2015).