Nephelomys auriventer

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Nephelomys auriventer
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Sigmodontinae
Genus: Nephelomys
Species:
N. auriventer
Binomial name
Nephelomys auriventer
(Thomas, 1899)
Synonyms

Oryzomys auriventer Thomas, 1899
[Nephelomys] auriventer: Weksler, Percequillo, and Voss, 2006

Nephelomys auriventer, also known as the golden-bellied oryzomys [2] or Ecuadorian rice rat, [1] is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. [3] Oldfield Thomas originally described it, in 1899, [4] as a species of Oryzomys , Oryzomys auriventer, and considered it most similar to Oryzomys aureus (currently Thomasomys aureus ). [5] In 1926, a subspecies was described from an Ecuadorian locality, Oryzomys auriventer nimbosus, and it was suggested that O. auriventer was closely related to O. albigularis . [6] This proposal was formalized in 1961 by including O. auriventer within the species O. albigularis, but by 1976 O. auriventer was recognized again as a separate species. [2] In 2006, Oryzomys albigularis and related species, including O. auriventer, were transferred to the new genus Nephelomys. Simultaneously, the former subspecies nimbosus was recognized as a separate species, Nephelomys nimbosus . [3]

N. auriventer is a fairly large species, though it is somewhat smaller than the black rat (Rattus rattus). It has fine, not woolly fur which is about 10 millimetres (0.39 in) in length at the back. The upperparts are blackish, becoming lighter towards the sides. [7] The coloration of the upperparts is sharply divided from that of the underparts, which is ochraceous. The large ears are brown. The tail is long and almost lacks hairs; it is dark brown above and slightly lighter below. The holotype, an old male, has head and body length 147 millimetres (5.79 in), tail length 160 millimetres (6.30 in), hindfoot length (without claws) 35 millimetres (1.38 in) and ear length 23 millimetres (0.91 in). [5]

The form of the interorbital region of the skull is distinctive, featuring distinctly beaded margins that converge towards the front. Unusually for a Nephelomys, the jugal bone of the skull is large. The alisphenoid strut, an extension of the alisphenoid bone of the skull which separates two openings in the skull, is sometimes present. The subsquamosal fenestra, an opening in the posterior part of the skull, is relatively small. The mastoid bone is completely ossified, lacking the openings that are present in most species of the genus. [8]

It is found in eastern Ecuador and northern Peru on the eastern slope of the Andes at elevations from 1000 to 2900 m. It is uncommon in Ecuador, and so far it has been found in only one locality in Peru, far to the south of its Ecuadorian range. It occurs in páramo and a variety of forest habitats. [1]

Related Research Articles

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Nephelomys albigularis, also known as the white-throated oryzomys or Tomes's rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. Described in 1860, it was the first Nephelomys species to be discovered. It was originally described in the defunct genus Hesperomys as Hesperomys albigularis and considered related to the much smaller H. longicaudatus. By 1894, it was placed in Oryzomys, as Oryzomys albigularis, and associated with what is now Nephelomys meridensis. In the early 1960s, the scope of the species was considerably expanded to include most of the species that are now in Nephelomys, as well as a single name, boliviae, that is currently a synonym of Euryoryzomys nitidus. From 1976 on, several of these were reinstated as separate species.

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<i>Oryzomys gorgasi</i> Rodent from the family Cricetidae from northwestern Colombia and Venezuela

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<i>Transandinomys talamancae</i> Small rodent found from Costa Rica to northern South America

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Oryzomys antillarum, also known as the Jamaican rice rat, is an extinct rodent of Jamaica. A member of the genus Oryzomys within the family Cricetidae, it is similar to O. couesi of mainland Central America, from where it may have dispersed to its island during the last glacial period. O. antillarum is common in subfossil cave faunas and is also known from three specimens collected live in the 19th century. Some historical records of Jamaican rats may pertain to it. The species probably became extinct late in the 19th century, perhaps due to the introduction of the small Asian mongoose, competition with introduced rodents such as the brown rat, and habitat destruction.

Nephelomys caracolus, also known as the Costa Central oryzomys or caracol rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. It is found in cloud forest in the Cordillera de la Costa Central of Aragua, Miranda, and the Distrito Federal in north-central Venezuela at elevations from 1000 to 2500 m. It is nocturnal and terrestrial, and has a varied diet. In most Nephelomys species, the posterolateral palatal pits, perforations of the palate near the third molar, are conspicuous and receded into a fossa, but in N. caracolus and the Ecuadorian species N. nimbosus, the pits are much smaller.

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Nephelomys maculiventer is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. The type locality is in Colombia, at "Sierra El Libano, alt. 6000 ft, Santa Marta District". It was originally described on the basis of 47 specimens, including 34 from Sierra El Libano and 13 from "Valparaiso".

Nephelomys moerex is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. The type locality is at Mindo in western Ecuador, where it has been recorded together with three other rodents of the oryzomyine group, Sigmodontomys aphrastus, Mindomys hammondi, and Handleyomys alfaroi, as well as three opossums, Chironectes minimus and unidentified species of Didelphis and Marmosa. Mindo is a "tiny agricultural community" located at 0°02'S, 78°48'W and 1,264 metres (4,150 ft) above sea level. It was originally described by Oldfield Thomas as a subspecies of Oryzomys albigularis. It remained synonymized under this species until it was recognized as a separate species when the genus Nephelomys was established for Oryzomys albigularis and related species in 2006.

Nephelomys nimbosus is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. Its type locality is at San Antonio on the northeastern slope of the Tungurahua in the Andes of Ecuador, at an altitude of about 6,700 feet (2,000 m). The type series included five individuals.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Weksler, M. (2016). "Nephelomys auriventer". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T15586A22332547. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T15586A22332547.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Musser and Carleton, 2005, p. 1146
  3. 1 2 Weksler et al., 2006, p. 18
  4. Thomas, 1899
  5. 1 2 Thomas, 1899, p. 380
  6. Anthony, 1926
  7. Thomas, 1899, p. 379
  8. Weksler et al., 2006, p. 19

Literature cited