418.

Colombian Western Andes Cloud Forest Mouse

Handleyomys fuscatus

French: Oryzomys de Handley / German: Dunkelful 3-Reisratte / Spanish: Raton de bosque nuboso de Colombia occidental

Other common names: Dusky-footed Handley’'s Mouse, Dusky Montane Mouse

Taxonomy. Aepeomys fuscatus J. A. Allen, 1912, San Antonio, near Cali, 7000 ft (= 2134 m), Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

Handleyomys fuscatus is the type species of the genus. Monotypic.

Distribution. W Andes Range of Colombia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 80-130 mm, tail 75-110 mm, ear 10-17 mm (mean 14 mm), hindfoot 22-26 mm; weight 19-34 g (mean 26 g). Species of Handleyomys include small oryzomyines, with tails about as long as head-body lengths. Pelage of the Colombian Western Andes Cloud Forest Mouse is fine and soft, uniformly dull brownish gray dorsally, but usually darker (sometimes almost blackish) mid-dorsally than on flanks; ventral pelage is dark gray, frosted with paler gray or buff and is not sharply countershaded. Tail appears naked to the eye and unicolored (dark above and below). Mystacial vibrissae are neither very short nor very long, extending posteriorly to (but not beyond) caudal margins of pinnae when laid back against cheeks. Pinnae are not large, but they are clearly visible above fur of head and are sparsely covered with short dark hairs. Manus is sparsely covered dorsally with short pale hair. Pes is long and narrow, with outer digits much shorter than middle three; conspicuous ungual tufts of long silvery hairs are rooted at bases of claws on second to fifth digits, but pedal dorsum otherwise is only sparsely covered with short pale (whitish or silvery) or dark-banded hair. Females have three pairs of mammae (inguinal, abdominal, and postaxial). The Colombian Western Andes Cloud Forest Mouse is distinguished by hindfeet covered dorsally with dark-banded (never pure white) hair; subtle cranial features contribute to its differentiation from the Colombian Central Andes Cloud Forest Mouse ( H. intectus). Chromosomal complement is 2n = 54, FN = 62.

Habitat. Primary cloud forests and adjacent secondary growth, usually in cool and very humid environments,at elevations of 1800-2530 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Four of six known pregnant Colombian Western Andes Cloud Forest Mice (each with 2-3 embryos) were caught in the rainy season (April or June), another was caught in late dry/early rainy season (September), and the fourth was caught in the dry season (February). One pregnant female was lactating in June; the only other lactating female was recorded in the rainy season (September). Juveniles have been caught during rainy seasons and late dry/early rainy seasons.

Activity patterns. The Colombian Western Andes Cloud Forest Mouse is apparently nocturnal and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Cassola (2016v), Gémez-Laverde et al. (2015), Gardner & Patton (1976), Voss et al. (2002).