Nephelomys devius

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Nephelomys devius
Nephelomys devius 186304475.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Sigmodontinae
Genus: Nephelomys
Species:
N. devius
Binomial name
Nephelomys devius
(Bangs, 1902)
Synonyms

Oryzomys devius Bangs, 1902
[Nephelomys] devius Weksler, Percequillo, and Voss, 2006

Skull of the holotype, a young adult female from Boquete, Panama. Nephelomys devius skull Bangs.png
Skull of the holotype, a young adult female from Boquete, Panama.

Nephelomys devius, also known as the Talamancan oryzomys, [3] Boquete rice rat, [4] Chiriqui rice rat, [5] or montane rice rat, [6] is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. [7] It is found in cloud forest in the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama. [1] [3]

The upperparts are light brown and become lighter towards the sides. The underparts are buffy or dull white, with a whitish area at the throat. The ears are blackish, as is the nose, and the feet are yellow to brown. [5] The tail is dark brown above and somewhat lighter below. In juveniles, the fur of the upperparts is darker. In three specimens, the total length ranges from 335 to 360 millimetres (13.19 to 14.17 in), the combined length of the tail vertebrae from 180 to 195 millimetres (7.09 to 7.68 in), the hindfoot length from 33 to 36 millimetres (1.30 to 1.42 in), and the skull length from 35.8 to 37.5 millimetres (1.409 to 1.476 in). [8]

N. devius is the westernmost representative of its genus, with a related species, N. pirrensis , known from eastern Panama. In contrast to that species, the chest region is marked by a white patch, as in various other Nephelomys species. The skull is more rounded, the auditory bullae are larger, [9] and the fur is somewhat paler. [5] Unlike Transandinomys talamancae , possibly the closest relative of the genus Nephelomys, N. devius apparently lacks preputial glands. [10]

It was originally described, in 1902, as a species of Oryzomys, Oryzomys devius, and considered to be related to O. meridensis . [2] In 1966, it was subsumed into Oryzomys albigularis , as were all other species of this group, but subsequently it was reinstated as a species. [3] In 2006, members of the O. albigularis group were transferred into a new genus, Nephelomys; since then, the species has been known as Nephelomys devius. [7]

Related Research Articles

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Oryzomys nelsoni, also known as the Nelson’s Rice Rat, is an extinct rodent of María Madre Island, Nayarit, Mexico. Within the genus Oryzomys of the family Cricetidae, it may have been most closely related to the mainland species O. albiventer. Since its first description in 1898, most authors have regarded it as a distinct species, but it has also been classified as a mere subspecies of the marsh rice rat (O. palustris).

Cerradomys marinhus, also known as Marinho's rice rat, is a rodent species from South America. It is found in Minas Gerais, Brazil. It was formerly known as Oryzomys marinhus, but was transferred to the new genus Cerradomys in 2006.

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.

<i>Transandinomys bolivaris</i> Small rodent found from northeastern Honduras to western Ecuador

Transandinomys bolivaris, also known as the long-whiskered rice rat, is a rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in humid forest from northeastern Honduras to western Ecuador, up to 1,800 m (5,900 ft) above sea level. Since it was first described in 1901 from Ecuador, six scientific names have been introduced for it, but their common identity was not documented until 1998 and the species has long been known under the name Oryzomys bombycinus, described from Panama in 1912. The name Oryzomys bolivaris was used before it was moved to the new genus Transandinomys with Transandinomys talamancae in 2006.

<i>Oryzomys dimidiatus</i> Nicaraguan rodent

Oryzomys dimidiatus, also known as the Nicaraguan oryzomys, Thomas's rice rat, or the Nicaraguan rice rat, is a rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is known from only three specimens, all collected in southeastern Nicaragua since 1904. Placed in Nectomys upon its discovery, it was later classified in its own subgenus of Oryzomys and finally recognized as closely related to other species now placed in Oryzomys, including the marsh rice rat and Coues' rice rat, which occurs in the same region.

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.

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

Transandinomys talamancae is a rodent in the family Cricetidae that occurs from Costa Rica to southwestern Ecuador and northern Venezuela. Its habitat consists of lowland forests up to 1,500 m (5,000 ft) above sea level. With a body mass of 38 to 74 g, it is a medium-sized rice rat. The fur is soft and is reddish to brownish on the upperparts and white to buff on the underparts. The tail is dark brown above and lighter below and the ears and feet are long. The vibrissae (whiskers) are very long. In the skull, the rostrum is long and the braincase is low. The number of chromosomes varies from 34 to 54.

<i>Euryoryzomys macconnelli</i> Species of rodent

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 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.

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 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 Samudio, R. (2016). "Nephelomys devius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T15593A22332217. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T15593A22332217.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Bangs, 1902, p. 34
  3. 1 2 3 Musser and Carleton, 2005
  4. Reid and Samudio, 2008; Goldman, 1920, p. 99
  5. 1 2 3 Goldman, 1918, p. 80
  6. Duff and Lawson, 2004
  7. 1 2 Weksler et al., 2006, p. 18
  8. Goldman, 1918, p. 81
  9. Goldman, 1920, p. 99
  10. Weksler et al., 2006, p. 21

Literature cited