581.

Parana Grass Mouse

Akodon paranaensis

French: Akodon du Parana / German: Parana-Graslandmaus / Spanish: Raton campestre de Parana

Other common names: Parana Akodont

Taxonomy. Akodon paranaensis Christoft et al., 2000, “Piraquara (Estacao Ecologica Canguiri), Parana, Brazil.”

Differences between A. paranaensis and A. reigi are notfully resolved. Monotypic.

Distribution. SE & S Brazil, E Paraguay, and NE Argentina .

Descriptive notes. Head-body 83-125 mm, tail 60-92 mm, ear 15-19 mm, hindfoot 22-24 mm; weight 39-42 g. The Parana Grass Mouse is a large species of Akodon .

Dorsal pelage is gray olivaceous, soft, and long; venter and sides are grayish or creamy; forefeet and hindfeet are grayish brown above, covered by banded hairs with dark bases and white tips, and with long ungual tufts that extend beyond tip of each claw. Tail is bicolored.

Habitat. Grasslands and shrubby transitional habitats in temperate regions, humid montane forests dominated by Araucaria angustifolia (Araucariaceae), “campos de altitude” (high-elevation grasslands), and montane forests at elevations of 900 m to above 1800 m. Argentinean and Paraguayan populations of Parana Grass Mice occur in primary tropical forest and secondary forest.

Food and Feeding. The Parana Grass Mouse is insectivorous-omnivorous, mainly eating coleopterans and fruits. It might disperse seeds.

Breeding. Male Parana Grass Mice with scrotal testes were recorded in October, suggesting some reproductive activity in spring.

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. Casella & Caceres (2006), Christoff et al. (2000), D’Elia, Mora et al. (2008), Goncalves et al. (2007), Pardinas, D'Elia, Christoff & Langguth (2008), Pardinas, D'Elia & Cirignoli (2003), Pardinas, Teta, Alvarado-Serrano et al. (2015), de la Sancha (2010), Scheibler & Christoff (2007).