752.

Painted Big-eared Mouse

Auliscomys pictus

French: Phyllotis peint / German: Bunte GrofRohrmaus / Spanish: Raton de orejas grandes pintado

Other common names: Lofty Pericote, Colorful Pericote

Taxonomy. Rheithrodon pictus Thomas, 1884, Junin, 13,700 ft (= 4176 m), Junin, Peru.

Auliscomys pictus is the type species of the genus. Monotypic.

Distribution. Andes of C & S Peru and W Bolivia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 100-133 mm, tail 83-102 mm, ear 21-24 mm, hindfoot 25-27 mm; weight 44-60 g. Living species of Auliscomys includes small to medium-sized Phyllotislike rodents with long lax fur, stout bodies, and tails either as long as or shorter than head-body length. Tail is well-haired and bicolored and lacks apical tuft. Dorsum is uniformly grayish to rich brown or buffy yellow, mixed with black; underparts are overall gray or white. Ears vary from small to large, often with buffy or white post-auricular patches. Feet are stout, generally heavily fringed; palms and soles are naked. There are four pairs of mammae. Dorsum and sides of the Painted Big-eared Mouse are brownish; rump, outer sides of thigh, and base oftail are tawny to ocherous. Head and shoulders are often grizzled, and lateral line, when present, is ocherous. Venter is gray to dirty white, with dark basal parts of hairs showing through. Small ocherous pectoral streak is present in some populations. Inner posterior surfaces of ears are ocherous, and pale post-auricular tufts usually present. Hindfeet areshort, with upper surfaces gray, lightly washed ocherous. Tail is bicolored and slightly short (less than 91% of head-body length). Chromosomal complementis 2n = 28, FN = 30 (based on specimens from Peruvian and Bolivian localities).

Habitat. Altiplano, Puna, bofedales, Andean shrubland, dry montane habitats, riverine areas, rocky areas, Polylepis (Rosaceae) forest, grassland with Stipa ichu ( Poaceae), and cultivated areas at elevations of 2590-4820 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Breeding of the Painted Big-eared Mouse begins in September—-December in southern Peru. In Cusco (Peru), a pregnant female with five embryos was caught in April; in Arequipa (Peru), some females with up to five embryos and six uterine scars were caught in January; and in La Paz (Bolivia), a female with three embryos was caught in January.

Activity patterns. The Painted Big-eared Mouse is terrestrial, diurnal, and nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Alvarez (2016), Dorst (1972a), Dunnum,Vargas, Bernal, Zeballos & Vivar (2016), Eisenberg & Redford (1999), Hershkovitz (1962), Musser & Carleton (2005), Osgood (1915), Pacheco (2002), Pearson (1951a, 1958, 1972), Pearson & Patton (1976), Peurach (1994), Pizzimenti & de Salle (1980), SalazarBravo (2015b), Steppan (1995).