189.

Eastern Woodrat

Neotoma floridanus

French: Néotoma de Floride / German: Florida-Buschratte / Spanish: Rata de bosque oriental

Other common names: Key Largo \ Woodrat

Taxonomy. Mus floridana [sic] Ord, 1818, near Jacksonville, St. Johns River, Duval County, Florida, United States.

Widely used name floridana has been changed to floridanus for gender agreement. Nine subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

N.f.floridanusOrd,1818—fromSEtipofNorthCarolinaStoCFlorida(SEUSA).

N.f.attwateriMearns,1897—restrictedtoECTexas(SUSA).

N.f.baileyiMerriam,1894—restrictedtoasmallareaalongtheSouthDakota—Ne-braskaborder(NCUSA).

N.f.campestris|.A.Allen,1894—SWNebraska,EColorado,andWKansas(CUSA).

N.f.haematoreiaA.H.Howell,1934—SWNorthCarolinatoNGeorgia(SEUSA).

N.f.illinoensisA.H.Howell,1910—fromSIllinoisStoLouisianaandextremeNWFlorida(SEUSA).

N.f.osagensisBlair,1939—fromCKansasandCMissouriStoNETexas(SCUSA).

N.f.rubidaBangs,1898—fromETexasEtoextremeSWAlabama(SEUSA).

N. f. smalli Sherman, 1955 — restricted to Key Largo, Florida (SE USA).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 181-238 mm, tail 129-203 mm, ear 24-30 mm, hindfoot 35-46 mm; weight 220-384 g. The Eastern Woodrat is one of the larger woodrat species in terms of size, especially in length. Tail is long and strongly bicolored, with short sparse hairs. Dorsum is generally dark brown to blackish, sides are brown to orangish brown, and venter and throat are white. Eastern Woodrats differ from all other species of woodrats by having a “forked” anterior palatal spine.

Habitat. Primarily wooded areas in south-eastern USA but also riparian habitats in parts of mid-western and even western USA. In those areas, distribution of the Eastern Woodrat is restricted to stream and riverine systems where wooded areas are available.

Food and Feeding. Food preferences of Eastern Woodrats vary greatly depending on region and habitat. A variety of herbaceous plants and grasses are consumed. Fruits from Osage orange ( Maclura pomifera, Moraceae), honey locust ( Gleditsia triacanthos, Fabaceae), pecans ( Carya, Juglandaceae), and oaks ( Quercus, Fagaceae) are among the most common food items.

Breeding. Eastern Woodrats breed throughout the year, depending on region and resource availability; January-March is most common. Litters have 1-6 young, but two young are the norm. Females born in spring can mate in autumn at c¢.6 months old.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Average home ranges of Eastern Woodrats are 0-26 ha for males and 0-17 ha for females. Daily distance traveled can vary from a few meters to a few hundred meters. The Eastern Woodrat is extremely territorial, which can affect home range and movement. Eastern Woodrats construct some of the largest middens relative to other woodrats. In some instances, they are nearly 2 m high and 4-5 m in diameter.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List (as N. floridana). The Eastern Woodrat generally is abundant in suitable habitat.

Bibliography. Allen (1894), Bangs (1898b), Blair (1939), Edwards & Bradley (2001), Goertz (1970), Howell (1934), Mearns (1897a), Merriam (1894b), Ord (1818), Sherman (1955), Tate (1970), Wiley (1980).