454.

Pleasant Bristly Mouse

Neacomys amoenus

French: Néacomys charmant / German: Schone Stachelreisratte / Spanish: Raton erizado cordial

Taxonomy. Neacomys spinosus amoenus Thomas, 1903, Santa Ana da Chapada, Chapada do Guimaraes, Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Two subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

N.a.amoenusThomas,1903—WCBrazil(RondoniaandMatoGrossostates)andN&EBolivia(Pando,LaPaz,andSantaCruzdepartments),atelevationsof200-900m.

N. a. carceleni Hershkovitz, 1940 — Amazonian Basin in Ecuador, Peru, and W Brazil (Amazonas and Acre states), at elevations of 200-750 m.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 65-79 mm, tail 72-102 mm, ear 10-16 mm, hindfoot 20-23 mm; weight 20-30 g. The Pleasant Bristly Mouse is large, with pale orange brown dorsum; soft hairs are light brown with pale orange tips; spiny hairs are white with gray tips; and flanks are pale yellowish orange. Ventral hairs are smoky white, with gray bases. Genal and superciliary vibrissae do not extend beyond posterior margin of pinnae when bent; interramalvibrissae are inserted in a basal protuberance. Ungual manus tufts do not extend beyond claws. Fifth digit of forefeet passesfirst interphalangeal joint of fourth digit. Hindfeet are slim and large, almost twice forefeet length. Metacarpal and metatarsal patches are absent. Tail is ¢.5% longer than head-body length,slightly bicolored, dark brown above and paler below, with terminal pencil of scarce long hairs. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 64, FN = 68.

Habitat. Primary and secondary rainforesst. In Peru, Pleasant Bristly Mice inhabit mature and perturbed forests, near bodies of water, with tall canopy and trees of more than 30 cm in diameter.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. In Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve (Peru), pregnant Pleasant Bristly Mice were only recorded in June, November, and December, with an average litter size of 2-4 young, suggesting year-round breeding, but perhaps with a peak at beginning of rainy season in December. Males with scrotal testes were captured in June, August, November, and December. In Rio Purts (Peru), males were caught in greater proportion than females, andjuveniles were caught only in wet season. On Rio Jurua (Brazil), pregnant females were captured in wet (February-March) and dry (August-September) seasons, and embryo counts were 2—4.

Activity patterns. The Pleasant Bristly Mouse is nocturnal and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The [UCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Bardales et al. (2017), Emmons & Feer (1999), Haynie et al. (2006), Hershkovitz (1940c), Hice & Velazco (2013), Hurtado & Pacheco (2017), Mena & Medellin (2009), Pacheco & Vivar (1996), Pacheco et al. (2009), Patton et al. (2000), Ruelas et al. (2016), da Silva etal. (2015).