613.

Ipuca Climbing Rat

Rhipidomys ipukensis

French: Rhipidomys des ipucas / German: [puca-Neuweltklettermaus / Spanish: Rata trepadora de ipuca

Other common names: [puca Climbing Mouse, Ipuca Rhipidomys

Taxonomy. Rhipidomys ipukensis Rocha, B. M. A. Costa & L. P. Costa, 2011, Fazenda Lago Verde, Tocantins, Brazil.

Relationships between R. ipukensis and R. emiliae need to be explored. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from three localities in C Brazil (Tocantins).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 99-141 mm, tail 113-165 mm, ear 20-23 mm, hindfoot 24-27 mm; weight 40-103 (mean 66) g. The Ipuca Climbing Rat is medium-sized, with tail 114-124% of head-body length and short and coarse dorsal pelage. Overall color is yellowish gray-brown to orangish brown, with gray-based dorsal hairs with yellowish to orangish tips, mixed with completely black guard hairs; sides of body are lighter than dorsum, with well-defined transition to venter; venter is woolly, varying from whitish to cream (some specimens have dark cream ventral midline). Tail is completely dark gray and covered with short hairs along anterior one-half becoming more elongated along posterior one-half and terminating in medium pencil 10-15 mm long. Hindfeet are broad, with dark dorsal metatarsal markings that vary from narrow and flanked with white fur to broad with poorly defined lateral limits. Ungual hairs are white, completely covering but not surpassing claw tips. Ears are large and brown, often with small cream patches of fur at bases.

Habitat. Cerrado biome in “ipuca” or “impuca” (seasonally flooded forest fragments) dominated by species of Fabaceae, Arecaceae, Chrysobalanaceae, and Vochysiaceae, developed in landform depression swales of mid-Araguaia River alluvial plain.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Ipuca Climbing Rats captured in September included males with scrotal testes and lactating females.

Activity patterns. Ipuca Climbing Rats were trapped on the ground and in understory, suggesting some degree of scansorial ability.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Rocha, Ferreira, Costa et al. (2011), Rocha, Ferreira, Martins et al. (2014), Tribe (2015).