564.

White-bellied Grass Mouse

Akodon albiventer

French: Akodon a ventre blanc / German: \Weil3bauch-Graslandmaus / Spanish: Raton campestre de vientre blanco

Other common names: \ White-bellied Akodont

Taxonomy. Akodon albiventer Thomas, 1897, “Lower Cachi.” Clarified byJ. P.Jayat and colleagues in 2010 as lower course of the Cachi River, which passes through the town of Cachi, Salta, Argentina.

Treatment of A. berlepschii as a synonym of A. albiventer deserves additional research. Monotypic.

Distribution. SE Peru through SW Bolivia and extreme NE Chile to NW Argentina .

Descriptive notes. Head—body 86-109 mm, tail 69-77 mm, ear 13-13-5 mm, hindfoot 20-22 mm; weight 21-36 g. The White-bellied Grass Mouse is a small species of Akodon . Dorsum is pale grizzled grayish, contrasting with snowy white venter. Eyes have whitish eye-rings; ears have few whitish hairs that form indistinct post-auricular spots; dorsal surfaces of forefeet and hindfeet are pure white; and tail is short, well-haired, brown above and white on sides and below.

Habitat. Open grasslands at high Andean environments and disturbed and cultivated areas at elevations of 2350-4500 m (most localities 3000-4500 m).

Food and Feeding. The White-bellied Grass Mouse eats invertebrates (mainly insects), grass, and mycorrhizal spores.

Breeding. Pregnancy of the White-bellied Grass Mouse probably occurs in late July. Lactating and pregnant females were trapped in February-March and December. Shedding individuals were collected in February—March, June, and December. Young individuals were observed in January-June.

Activity patterns. The White-bellied Grass Mouse is terrestrial, diurnal, and solitary.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Alvarez (2016), Anderson (1997), Diaz & Barquez (2007), Dunnum, Vargas, Bernal, Zeballos, Vivar, Patterson, Pardinas & Jayat (2016), Jayat et al. (2010), Mann (1978), Pardinas, Teta, Alvarado-Serrano et al. (2015), Pearson (1951a), Pine et al. (1979).