603.

Coues’s Climbing Rat

Rhipidomys couesi

French: Rhipidomys de Coues / German: Coues-Neuweltklettermaus / Spanish: Rata de arroz de marisma de Coues

Other common names: Coues’s Climbing Mouse, Coues’s Rhipidomys

Taxonomy. 7 Tylomys couesi J. A. Allen & F. M. Chapman, 1893, “Princestown [Princes Town], Trinidad,” Trinidad and Tobago .

Rhipidomys couesi from the islands of Trinidad and Margarita are larger, on average, than those from Venezuelan mainland; the name R. venezuelae cumananus by O. Thomas in 1900 is available if trinomial classification is applied in the future. Monotypic.

Distribution. C Colombia to N Venezuela (including Margarita I), and Trinidad I.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 150-210 mm,tail 171-195 mm, ear 19-32 mm, hindfoot 28-33 mm; weight 53-125 g. Coues’s Climbing Rat is large, with yellowish to reddish brown agouti dorsum, conspicuously flecked with dark brown or black guard hairs; venteris white or creamy yellow, sometimes with rarely noticeable pale to medium gray hair bases; and fur is moderately coarse and short. Tail is relatively short (100-120% of head-body length) and unicolored, with rather large dark scales and dark brown to reddish brown hairs;it is well-haired distally and terminates in pencil of hairs up to 20 mm in length. Whiskers are very long and black, the longest ¢.70 mm. Ears are large, naked, and dusky. Hindfeet are long and broad, with distinctly or indistinctly outlined dark patch that extends at least to bases of second through fifth digit. Chromosomal complementis 2n = 44 and FN = 48.

Habitat. Evergreen forest and plantations at elevations of 10-1500 m. Coues’s Climbing Rat has been reported as a pest of cacao in Trinidad.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Coues’s Climbing Rat is nocturnal and bother terrestrial and arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Coues’s Climbing Rat is relatively common in plantations but difficult to trap.

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

Bibliography. Aguilera & Ochoa (2016), Aguilera et al. (1994), Allen & Chapman (1893), Everard &Tikasingh (1973b), Handley (1976), Linares (1998), Montserin (1937), Ochoa, Sanchez et al. (1988), Thomas (1900b), Tribe (1996, 2015).