Published April 5, 2019 | Version v1
Taxonomic treatment Open

Nectomys rattus

  • 1. Division of Vertebrate Zoology (Mammalogy) American Museum of Natural History
  • 2. Integrative Research Center Field Museum of Natural History

Description

Nectomys rattus (Pelzeln, 1883)

VOUCHER MATERIAL: El Diamante: 1 adult female (MUSM 39281); see table 23 for measurements.

IDENTIFICATION: We consulted descriptions and measurements of Nectomys rattus provided by Hershkovitz (1944, as Nectomys squamipes melanius), Voss et al. (2001, as Nectomys melanius), Bonvicino and Weksler (2015), and Chiquito et al. (2017). No subspecies are currently recognized in Nectomys rattus (Bonvicino and Weksler, 2015; Chiquito et al., 2017). Nectomys rattus is distinguished from other species in the genus by the following combination of characteristics: dorsal fur grayish brown; venter fur pale gray; hind feet lacking hypothenar pads; forefeet with distinct rudiment of thumb with nail; tail scaly but moderately haired; lacrimals contacting the maxillary bone; interparietal much wider than long; and dorsolateral exposition of the exoccipital reduced (Bonvicino and Weksler, 2015; Chiquito et al., 2017). Our specimen conforms to previous descriptions of the species, and its measurements fall within the range of size variation previously documented.

REMARKS: Our single specimen was captured in a cultivated area. Lareschi and Velazco (2013) reported the mite Gigantolaelaps goyanensis from our specimen.

Notes

Published as part of Velazco, Paúl M. & Patterson, Bruce D., 2019, Small Mammals Of The Mayo River Basin In Northern Peru, With The Description Of A New Species Of Sturnira (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), pp. 1-69 in Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2019 (429) on page 49

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Linked records

Additional details

Biodiversity

Collection code
MUSM
Family
Cricetidae
Genus
Nectomys
Kingdom
Animalia
Material sample ID
MUSM 39281
Order
Rodentia
Phylum
Chordata
Scientific name authorship
Pelzeln
Species
rattus
Taxon rank
species
Taxonomic concept label
Nectomys rattus (Pelzeln, 1883) sec. Velazco & Patterson, 2019

References

  • Pelzeln, A., von. 1883. Brasilische Saugethiere. Resultate von Johann Natterer's Reisen in den Jahren 1817 bis 1835. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Koniglichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 33 (Suppl.): 1 - 140.
  • Hershkovitz, P. 1944. A systematic review of the Neotropical water rats of the genus Nectomys (Cricetinae). Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 58: 1 - 101.
  • Voss, R. S., D. P. Lunde, and N. B. Simmons. 2001. The mammals of Paracou, French Guiana: a neotropical lowland rainforest fauna Part 2. Nonvolant species. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 263: 1 - 236.
  • Bonvicino, C. R., and M. Weksler. 2015. Genus Nectomys Peters, 1861. In J. L. Patton, U. F. J. Pardinas, and G. D'Elia (editors), Mammals of South America, vol. 2: Rodents: 369 - 377. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • Chiquito, E. A., J. R. Prado, and A. R. Percequillo. 2017. South American water rat Nectomys rattus. In D. E. Wilson, T. E. Lacher, Jr., and R. A. Mittermeier (editors), Handbook of the mammals of the world: 448. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions.
  • Lareschi, M., and P. M. Velazco. 2013. Laelapinae mites (Acari, Parasitiformes, Laelapidae) parasitic of sigmodontinae rodents from northern Peru, with the description of a new species from Akodon aerosus (Rodentia, Cricetidae, Sigmodontinae). Journal of Parasitology 99: 189 - 193.