193.

Southern Plains Woodrat

Neotoma micropus

French: Néotoma a petites pattes / German: KleinfuR-Buschratte / Spanish: Rata de bosque meridional

Taxonomy. Neotoma micropus Baird, 1855, Charco Escondido, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

Five subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

N.m.micropusBaird,1855—fromSCKansasSthroughWCOklahomaandTexas(SCUSA)toN&ECoahuila,NuevoLeon,Tamaulipas,andextremeESanLuisPotosistates(NEMexico).

N.m.canescensJ.A.Allen,1891—SEColorado,SWKansas,OklahomaPanhandle,NewMexico,andWTexas(SCUSA)andNChihuahuaState(NCMexico).

N.m.leucophaeaGoldman,1933—knownonlyfromtheWhiteSandsNationalMonumentinSCNewMexico(SUSA).

N.m.littoralisGoldman,1905—knownonlyfromAltamirainSETamaulipasState(NEMexico).

N. m. planiceps Goldman, 1905 — known only from Rio Verde in SE San Luis Potosi State (EC Mexico).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 180-236 mm, tail 130-175 mm, ear 23-25 mm, hindfoot 34-41 mm; weight 200-317 g. The Southern Plains Woodrat is large, and males are larger than females. Dorsum is gray to bluish gray, venteris light gray, and chest and throat are white. Hairs of chest, throat, and feet are white to bases. Ears are large, and tail is short (relative to other woodrat species), blackish above and gray below.

Habitat. Arid and semiarid habitats including grasslands, thorn forests, and oak ( Quercus, Fagaceae) and mesquite ( Prosopis, Fabaceae) savannas from sea level to elevations of ¢.1700 m. The Southern Plains Woodrat inhabits valleys, plains, alluvial fans, smooth slopes, and rarely rocky areas. Its absence in rocky sites is more evident when sympatric with the White-throated Woodrat (N. albigula). In Tamaulipas, the Southern Plains Woodrat occurs along beach habitats.

Food and Feeding. Diet is almost entirely composed of vegetation, with cacti and prickly pear ( Opuntia, Cactaceae) fruits as dominant food items. Other food items include bases of leaves of sotol ( Dasylirion, Asparagaceae), acorns, pods, and mesquite seeds. Wateris obtained from the diet.

Breeding. Southern Plains Woodrats generally have only one litter per year, and reproductive season may be mostly restricted to early spring. Pregnant females have been found in December, May, June, July, and August and juveniles in March, April, June, July, September, and November. Litters have 2-4 young. Gestation is 33 days. Young grow quickly and are weaned within 30 days. At c.3 months of age, young have completed development and are 85% of adult weight. They appear to become sexually mature the year after birth.

Activity patterns. The Southern Plains Woodrat is presumably nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In Texas, home ranges averaged 1829 m* for males and 258 m* for females. Southern Plains Woodrats construct elaborate middens, up to 1-2 m in diameter and high. Cacti patches or thorn forests are preferred areas to locate middens; they occasionally are built in rock ledges or crevices.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. No conservation concerns are reported for the Southern Plains Woodrat, but subspecies leucophaea and planiceps are known from only type localities and should be monitored.

Bibliography. Allen (1891b), Alvarez (1963a), Bailey (1932), Baird (1855b), Baker (1956), Birney (1973), Cockrum (1952), Davis (1974), Findley (1987), Findley et al. (1975), Finley (1958), Goldman (1905, 1933), Henke & Smith (2000), Mellink (2014), Schmidly (1977).