199.

Guatemala Woodrat

Neotoma ferruginea

French: Néotoma ferrugineux / German: Guatemala-Buschratte / Spanish: Rata de bosque de Guatemala

Other common names: Tomes's \ Woodrat

Taxonomy. Neotoma ferruginea Tomes, 1862, Duenas, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala.

Neotomaferruginea was initially described as a distinct species, and then it was relegated to a subspecies of N. mexicana, where it remained until it was resurrected to full species status. During recent taxonomic revision, several subspecies of N. mexicana were reevaluated and assigned to N. ferruginea, resulting in four subspecies being affiliated with N. ferruginea . It is unclearif N. mexicana solitaria is a subspecies of N. ferruginea . Four subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

N.f.ferrugineaTomes,1862—SGuatemalaandWElSalvador;andpossiblyWHonduras.

N.f.chamulaGoldman,1909—fromCChiapas(SEMexico)SEtoCEGuatemala.

N.f.isthmicaGoldman,1904—SEMexico(SEOaxacaandSChiapas)andSWGuatemala.

N. f. vulcani Sanborn, 1935 — known only from the type locality at Volcan Tajumulco (SW Guatemala).

Descriptive notes. Head—body ¢.189-192 mm, tail 166-198 mm, hindfoot 35-39 mm, ear 33-38 mm; weight 150-300 g. The Guatemala Woodrat is large, with orange-rufous to ferruginous dorsum. Color fades to grayish fulvous on forearms and hindlegs. Face, top of head, and back have scattered blackish hairs. Venter, including upper lip and lower sides of face, is white. Forefeet are white; hindfeet are dusky to toes. Tail is long and thick and sparsely haired to scaly, indistinctly bicolored (brownish above and paler below). Ears are medium-sized. It is similar in color to the Painted Woodrat (N. picta) but generally larger in size. Skull is larger, longer, and narrower than that of the Painted Woodrat.

Habitat. Generally, open montane woodland or shrub vegetation types. It has also been recorded in rocky outcroppings of montane and cloud forest areas.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Reproduction is probably similar to that of the Mexican Woodrat (N. mexicana).

Activity patterns. The Guatemala Woodrat is presumably nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Given its recent recognition as a species, conservation status of the Guatemala Woodrat has not been determined. Given high human activity within its distribution,its status should be investigated.

Bibliography. Goldman (1904, 1909), Hall (1955), Ordénez-Garza et al. (2014), Sanborn (1935), Tomes (1862).