518.

Andean Rat

Lenoxus apicalis

French: Akodon des Andes / German: Andenratte / Spanish: Rata de los Andes

Other common names: White-tailed Akodont

Taxonomy. Oxymycterus apicalis J. A. Allen, 1900, “Juliaca, Peru, altitude 6000 feet [= 1830 m].” Corrected by J. A. Allen in 1901 to “Inca Mines [= Santo Domingo Mine], about 200 miles [= 322 km] northeast ofJuliaca, on the east side of the Andes on the Inambary River [= Rio Inambari],” Puno, Peru.

Lenoxus apicalis 1s the type species of the genus Lenoxus . Validity of subspecies boliviae named by C. C. Sanborn in 1950, erected to distinguish Bolivian populations, deserves additional assessment. Monotypic.

Distribution. SE Peru and NW Bolivia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 118-1650 mm, tail 133-185 mm, ear 21 mm, hindfoot 32-37 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Andean Rat is medium-sized, generally dull blackish washed with gray above, darker on medial area, more grayish on sides, and graybrown tinged slightly with buff on venter. Ears are small but exposed, pale brown and thinly haired. Tail is moderately long (equal to or greater than head-body length), uniformly gray-brown above and below, and with white tip that strongly contrasts basal portion. White tail tip is present in all specimens but varies in length from about one-sixth to one-third of the total tail length. Tail is thinly haired, with scale annuli quite visible. Plantar surfaces of hindfeet are naked, except on heels; dorsal surface is gray contrasting white toes. Claws of manus and pes are short, not stoutly developed as in species of Oxymycterus . The Andean Rat is easily distinguished by its large size, blackish color, and very long white-tipped tail.

Habitat. Cloud forest and upper montane forest on eastern Andean slopes at elevations of 1500-2500 m. Peruvian specimens of the Andean Rat were trapped in runways along moss-covered tree roots or among dense ferns on floors of elfin forests. Moderate numbers of the Andean Rat were caught while surveying small mammals in two Peruvian localities along Tambopata River at elevations of 1600-1985 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Allen (1900, 1901b), Anderson (1997), Dunnum, Bernal, Zeballos & Vivar (2016), Hinojosa et al. (1987), Pacheco et al. (2011), Patton (2015b), Reig (1987), Sanborn (1950).