374.

Mount Pirre Rice Rat

Nephelomys pirrensis

French: Néphélomys du Pirre / German: Mount-Pirre-Reisratte / Spanish: Rata de arroz de Pirri

Taxonomy. Oryzomys pirrensis Goldman, 1913, near head of Limé6n River, 4500 m, Mount Pirre (or Pirri), Panama.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. E Panama; probably adjacent Colombia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 150-155 mm, tail 159-170 mm, hindfoot 34-37 mm. The Mount Pirre Rice Ratis similar in size to the Boquete Rice Rat (N. devius) but slightly darker, lacking pure white patches on underparts that characterized several species of Nephelomys. Upperparts are between tawny and russet, heavily mixed with black along broad median line from top of head to base of tail, becoming lighter, purer tawny on cheeks, shoulders, and sides; throat is whitish or grayish; rest of underparts are usually overlaid with ocherous tawny but varying to dull white; nose and ears are blackish; forefeet are blackish, becoming lighter on toes; hindfeet are dark brown, thinly covered with short hairs to toes, which are dull yellowish; and epidermis of tail is dark brown above and usually somewhat paler below.

Habitat. Heavy cloud forests bordering canyon of the Limon River at elevations of ¢.1372 m and rarely at 1585 m on upperparts of Mount Tacarcuna. Mount Pirre Rice Rats from Mount Pirre (1433 m) were caught along small, steep-sided streams within several centimters of the water’s edge inside cloud forest.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. According to E. A. Goldman in 1920, Mount Pirre Rice Rats were caught in “holes under logs and rocks along steep overhanging banks of the stream, where palms and tree ferns are conspicuous vegetation. Several were caught in well-worn paths, bearing many marks of small feet.”

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Goldman (1913, 1918a, 1920), Pearson (1939), Voss (2014).