375.

Western Colombian Rice Rat

Nephelomys pectoralis

French: Néphélomys de Colombie / German: Westkolumbianische Reisratte / Spanish: Rata arrocera de Colombia occidental

Taxonomy. Oryzomys pectoralis J. A. Allen, 1912, 40 miles (= 64 km) west of Popayan, 10,340 ft (= 3152 m), Cauca, Colombia .

Nephelomys pectoralis was resurrected from N. albigularis by A. R. Percequillo in 2015. Monotypic.

Distribution. All three Andean ranges in Colombia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 124-180 mm, tail 110-196 mm, ear 16-25 (mean 21) mm, hindfoot 33-5-37 mm; weight 36-126 (mean 76 g). The Western Colombian Rice Rat is medium-sized, characterized by large and wide white ventral patches. Dorsal pelage is long, dense, lax, and yellowish to ocherous, grizzled with brown; venteris grayish, with large and conspicuous white gular and pectoral patches that rarely reach abdominal region; soles of hindfeet are blackish brown; and tail is pale grayish brown, nearly unicolored. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 66, FN = 94.

Habitat. Montane forests at elevations of 1219-3152 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Cardenas (2017), Percequillo (20159).