426.

Atlantic Forest Rice Rat

Hylaeamys laticeps

French: Oryzomys cétier / German: Atlantische Reisratte / Spanish: Rata arrocera de bosque atlantico

Other common names: Atlantic Forest Hylaeamys, Atlantic Forest Oryzomys

Taxonomy. Mus laticeps Lund, 1840, Lagoa Santa, valley of the Rio das Velhas, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Several nominal forms are subsumed in the current concept of H. laticeps, including Oryzomys seuanezi. Monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to E Atlantic Forest from S Bahia to N Rio de Janeiro states, SE Brazil.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 122-174 mm, tail 100-157 mm, ear 21-23 mm, hindfoot 32-34 mm; weight 51-97 g. The Atlantic Forest Rice Rat is large, with robust hindfeet, fleshy hypothenar pads, and sparse ungual tufts shorter than claws. Dorsal fur is very short, harsh, and buffy, yellowish, or grayish brown, densely grizzled with dark brown; ventral fur is shorter and predominantly grayish;tail is bicolored basally and unicolored distally; and ears are sparsely covered with reddish brown hairs.

Habitat. Lowland evergreen forest and subtropical deciduous forest, including swampy, disturbed, and primary forests, but most frequently pristine habitats of the coastal Atlantic Forest from sea level to elevations typically of ¢.300 m in the foothills of Serra do Mar.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Atlantic Forest Rice Rat is terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Andrades-Miranda et al. (2000), Brennand et al. (2013), Emmons & Patton (2005), Musser, Carleton et al. (1998), Percequillo (1998, 2015e), Percequillo & Weksler (2008b), Weksler et al. (1999).