734.

Master Leaf-eared Mouse

Phyllotis magister

French: Phyllotis maitre / German: Kommune Blattohrmaus / Spanish: Raton orejudo maestro

Other common names: Majestic Pericote

Taxonomy. Phyllotis magister Thomas, 1912, “ Arequipa, [Arequipa,] Peru. Alt.

2300 m.” This species is monotypic.

Distribution. WC Peru S to N Chile.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 108-145 mm, tail 158 mm, ear 29 mm, hindfoot 32 mm; weight 50-90 g. The Master Leaf-eared Mouse has coarse hair. Dorsum is buffy or ocherous, finely lined with black; head and shoulders are sometimes paler, contrasting back. Venter is withish, with gray basal color of hairs visible and buffy pectoral streak. Manus and pes are large and broad, with white dorsal surfaces. Tail is longer than head-body length, furred, and bicolored, blackish brown above and white below. Rostrum is broad, interorbital edges are sharp, nasals seldom reach posterior to premaxillae, large postero-palatal pits are anterior to mesopterygoid fossa, bullae usually taper evenly toward bullar tubes, and molars are large (tooth row length 5-5-6-5 mm). Chromosomal complement is 2n = 38, FN = 72 in individuals from Tacna Region (Peru).

Habitat. High Andean wetlands, Andean scrubland, dry shrubland, riverine areas, Polylepis (Rosaceae) forest, lomas, and cultivated areas from sea level up to elevations of 4000 m (typically above 2300 m).

Food and Feeding. The Master Leaf-eared Mouse is omnivorous, although it specializes on forbs in southern Peru;it is tolerant of water deprivation.

Breeding. Litters of the Master Leaf-eared Mouse average 2-3 young, with mean embryos count of 3-5.

Activity patterns. The Master Leaf-eared Mouse is terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In Peru, density of the Master Leafeared Mouse was 2-1 ind/ha in montane scrubland.

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

Bibliography. Alvarez (2016), Eisenberg & Redford (1999), Hershkovitz (1962), Pearson (1972, 1975), Pearson & Ralph (1978), Pine et al. (1979), Pizzimenti & de Salle (1980), Spotorno, Zuleta et al. (1998), Steppan & Ramirez (2015), Thomas (1912c¢), Walker et al. (1999), Zeballos et al. (2016).