624.

Dressy Oldfield Mouse

Thomasomys vestitus

French: Thomasomys velu / German: Schone Paramomaus / Spanish: Raton de erial vistoso

Other common names: Dressy Thomasomys, Merida Thomasomys

Taxonomy. Oryzomys wvestitus Thomas, 1898, “Rio Milla, Merida [Mérida], 1630 m,” Venezuela.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to Cordillera de Mérida in W Venezuela.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 138-141 mm, tail 169 mm, ear 17-21 mm, hindfoot 33-33-3 mm; weight 67-5 g. Fur of the Dressy Oldfield Mouse is long, soft, and woolly. Dorsum is grizzled fuscous gray, more rufous posteriorly, and head is grayish. Underparts are uniformly grayish, washed with dull buff and not countershaded relative to dorsum. Ears are thinly haired and pale brown. Hands are dull whitish above. Tail is unicolored pale brown and well-haired; terminal white tip is absent. Mystacial vibrissae are moderately long, extending slightly beyond posterior margin of pinnae when bent. Hindfootis dull whitish above. Hallux is moderately long, with claw not extending more than about one-half the length of first phalanx of second digit. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 44 and FN = 42.

Habitat. Very dense evergreen montane cloud forests, with 2-3 structural layers and well-developed understory with abundant epiphytes, at elevations of 1600-2500 m. One Dressy Oldfield Mouse was trapped under a mossy log on damp ground and another on a log over a small stream.

Food and Feeding. The Dressy Oldfield Mouse eats small fruits, plant material, and insects.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Dressy Oldfield Mouse is nocturnal and probably arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Aguilera et al. (2000), Gutiérrez et al. (2015), Handley (1976), Linares (1998), Pacheco (2003, 2015b), Rivas et al. (2008), Thomas (1898d).