Nephelomys caracolus

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Nephelomys caracolus
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Sigmodontinae
Genus: Nephelomys
Species:
N. caracolus
Binomial name
Nephelomys caracolus
(Thomas, 1914)
Synonyms

Oryzomys caracolusThomas, 1914
[Nephelomys] caracolus: Weksler, Percequillo, and Voss, 2006

Nephelomys caracolus, also known as the Costa Central oryzomys [2] or caracol rice rat, [1] is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. [3] It is found in cloud forest in the Cordillera de la Costa Central of Aragua, Miranda, and the Distrito Federal [2] in north-central Venezuela at elevations from 1000 to 2500 m. [1] It is nocturnal and terrestrial, and has a varied diet. [1] 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. [4]

Oldfield Thomas originally described the species, in 1914, as a member of Oryzomys , Oryzomys caracolus. From 1960 on, it was included in Oryzomys capito , the current Hylaeamys megacephalus , and subsequently in Oryzomys albigularis . In the 1990s, studies of the Venezuelan populations of the O. albigularis group, based on data from karyotypes and morphometrics, provided evidence for the distinctiveness of O. caracolus and the other Venezuelan species of the group, O. meridensis . The patterns recovered differ in details among the studies, however, and some authors chose to retain O. caracolus and O. meridensis as subspecies of O. albigularis, suggesting a need for further study on the classification of Venezuelan members of the group. [2] When the members of the O. albigularis group were transferred to the new genus Nephelomys in 2006, caracolus was retained as a species, Nephelomys caracolus. [3]

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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.

Nephelomys auriventer, also known as the golden-bellied oryzomys or Ecuadorian rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. Oldfield Thomas originally described it, in 1899, as a species of Oryzomys, Oryzomys auriventer, and considered it most similar to Oryzomys aureus. 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. 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. 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.

Oreoryzomys balneator, also known as the Peruvian rice rat or Ecuadoran oryzomys, is a species of rodent in the tribe Oryzomyini of family Cricetidae. It is found in Ecuador and northern Peru in cloud forest at elevations from 1500 to 1800 m. It is the only species in the genus Oreoryzomys, which was included in Oryzomys until 2006. The genus name Oreoryzomys is a combination of ορος the Greek word for "mountain" with the old genus name Oryzomys and refers to the mountainous habitat of O. balneator. Recent research suggests that O. balneator is not closely related to Oryzomys, but instead is probably related to Microryzomys within a clade also including Neacomys and Oligoryzomys.

<i>Nephelomys devius</i> Species of rodent

Nephelomys devius, also known as the Talamancan oryzomys, Boquete rice rat, Chiriqui rice rat, or montane rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. It is found in cloud forest in the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama.

Nephelomys keaysi, also known as Keays's oryzomys or Keays's rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. It is found from southeastern Peru to northern Bolivia on the eastern slope of the Andes in Yungas humid forest at altitudes of 1000 to 2600 m. Although its continued existence is not in serious danger and it is listed as "least concern", destruction of its habitat may pose a threat to some populations.

Euryoryzomys legatus, also known as the Tarija oryzomys or big-headed rice rat, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It now belongs to the genus Euryoryzomys, having previously been placed in Oryzomys. It is found in the eastern Andes of northwestern Argentina and southern Bolivia.

Nephelomys levipes, also known as the nimble-footed oryzomys or light-footed rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. It is found on the eastern slope of the Andes from southeastern Peru into west-central Bolivia in cloud forest at elevations from 1,800 to 3,200 metres. It occurs in the same general area as its congener N. keaysi, but at higher altitudes.

Handleyomys rhabdops, also known as the highland oryzomys or striped rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Handleyomys of family Cricetidae. It is nocturnal and is found in Guatemala and Mexico in montane forest at elevations from 1250 to 3250 m.

Euryoryzomys macconnelli, also known as MacConnell's rice rat or MacConnell's oryzomys, is a rodent species from South America. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela, where it lives in lowland tropical rainforest. It was formerly placed in the genus Oryzomys, as Oryzomys macconnelli, but in 2006 it was reclassified as the type species of the new genus Euryoryzomys.

Nephelomys meridensis, also known as the Mérida oryzomys, is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. It is found in cloud forest in the Sierra Nevada de Mérida of western Venezuela at elevations from 1100 to 4000 m. It is solitary, nocturnal and terrestrial, and has a varied diet.

<i>Transandinomys</i> Genus of small rodents from Central and South America

Transandinomys is a genus of rodents in the tribe Oryzomyini of family Cricetidae. It includes two species—T. bolivaris and T. talamancae—found in forests from Honduras in Central America south and east to southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Venezuela in northern South America. Until 2006, its members were included in the genus Oryzomys, but phylogenetic analysis showed that they are not closely related to the type species of that genus, and they have therefore been placed in a new genus. They may be most closely related to genera like Hylaeamys and Euryoryzomys, which contain very similar species. Both species of Transandinomys have had eventful taxonomic histories.

<i>Nephelomys</i> Genus of rodents

Nephelomys is a genus of South American oryzomyine rodents found in the Andes from Bolivia to Venezuela, with a westward extension into the mountains of Costa Rica. Its generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek word nephelê "mist", referring to the cloud forest habitat of the members of the genus.

Nephelomys childi is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. The type locality is at Bogotá, Colombia, and the type locality of its junior synonym, oconnelli, is at a place known as Buenavista, about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Bogotá. It was named after Mr. George D. Child, who assisted in obtaining the type series.

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.

<i>Nephelomys pirrensis</i> Species of rodent

Nephelomys pirrensis, also known as the Mount Pirre rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. Its type locality is at Mount Pirri or Pirre in eastern Panama, at an altitude of 4,500 feet (1,400 m), and it has also been recorded on Mount Tacarcuna.

Nephelomys pectoralis is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. Its type locality is 40 miles (64 km) west of the city of Popayán, Cauca Department, Colombia, at an altitude of 10,340 feet (3,150 m). American zoologist Joel Asaph Allen first described it in 1912 on the basis of 112 specimens from several locations in the Cordillera Occidental. He classified it as a species of Oryzomys, Oryzomys pectoralis, but later subsumed into the species Oryzomys albigularis. When that species was transferred to the new genus Nephelomys in 2006, N. pectoralis was recognized as a separate species.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Aguilera, M. (2016). "Nephelomys caracolus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T136833A22332280. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T136833A22332280.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Musser and Carleton, 2005, p. 1146
  3. 1 2 Weksler et al., 2006, p. 18
  4. Wekser et al., 2006, p. 19

Literature cited