207.

Arizona Woodrat

Neotoma devia

French: Néotoma d’Arizona / German: Arizona-Buschratte / Spanish: Rata de bosque de Arizona

Taxonomy. Neotoma devia Goldman, 1927, Tanner Tank, 5200 ft (= 1585 m), Painted Desert, Arizona, USA.

Historically, N. devia has been treated as subspecies of N. lepida; however, revisions of N. lepida group concluded that N. devia is a distinct species. Monotypic.

Distribution. W Arizona (SW USA) and extreme NW Sonora State (NW Mexico).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 147-176 mm, tail 108-149 mm, ear 24-32 mm, hindfoot 24-33 mm; weight 100-199 g. The Arizona Woodrat is small, similar to the Desert Woodrat (N. lepida). Dorsum is gray to reddish brown; underside and feet are usually white. Ears are relatively large and hairy. Tail is hairy.

Habitat. Desert areas with xeric bushes from sea level to elevations of ¢.1600 m.

Food and Feeding. Arizona Woodrats eat vegetable matter, such as thorny cacti, pods, berries, pine nuts, seeds, and leaves. They eat succulents for water.

Breeding. Female Arizona Woodrats can be very prolific, having up to five litters/year. Gestation lasts 30-36 days, and litters have 1-5 young.

Activity patterns. Arizona Woodrats are nocturnal and occasionally crepuscular. They are active throughout the year.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Arizona Woodrats are solitary and aggressive. Middens are built in rocky areas and under roots of cacti and chollas ( Cylindropuntia, Cactaceae); they are used to avoid extreme temperatures, hide from predators, and store food.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Arizona Woodratis poorly studied and has a restricted distribution. Current status ofits populations is unknown, but they may be fragile. Some populations occur in El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve, Sonora, Mexico.

Bibliography. Burt & Grossenheider (1980), Dominguez (2014), Egoscue (1957), Goldman (1927 1932a), Koop et al. (1985), MacMillen (1964), Mascarello (1978), Meserve (1974), Miller, A.H. & Stebbins (1964), Miller, G.S. & Kellogg (1955), Nowak (1999), Patton et al. (2007), Riddle, Hafner, Alexander & Jaeger (2000), Stones & Hayward (1968), Wilson & Reeder (1993).