Thomasomys fumeus

642.

Smoky Oldfield Mouse

Thomasomys fumeus

French: Thomasomys sombre / German: Rauchgraue Paramomaus / Spanish: Ratén de erial ahumado

Other common names: Smoky Thomasomys

Taxonomy. Thomasomys rhoadsi fumeus Anthony, 1924, “Hacienda San Francisco, east of Ambato [Tungurahua], central Ecuador, elevation about 8000 feet [= 2438 m].” This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from five localities in E Andes Range of NC Ecuador (Napo and Morona Santiago provinces).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 101-125 mm, tail 97-115 mm, ear 16-19 mm, hindfoot 16-19 mm; weight 31-50 g. Dorsal pelage of the Smoky Oldfield Mouse is long and soft. Dorsum is a mixture of dusky neutral gray and pale neutral gray, darkest along back. Venteris pale neutral gray, not countershaded with dorsum. Mystacial vibrissae are moderately long, extending slightly beyond posterior margin of pinnae when bent. Tail is short, comparatively thick, thinly haired, and uniformly colored, without terminal white tip; annular rings are conspicuous. Hindfootis short, with metatarsals light brown washed with white hairs. Hallux is short. Females have six mammae: one postaxial pair, one abdominal pair, and one inguinal pair.

Habitat. Montane forests at elevations of 2438-2851 m. Smoky Oldfield Mice have been caught in dense secondary vegetation, subalpine rainforest, and upper montane rainforest; on the ground; in runways through wet leaf litter and mossy debris; beneath mossy logs, branches, or roots; and inside trunk of a hollow tree. In Sangay National Park, one individual was recorded in pristine forest dominated by trees with knotty branches and abundant epiphytes; Chusquea sp. bamboos dominated the understory.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Smoky Oldfield Mouse is nocturnal and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Establishment of new protected areas in the limited distribution of the Smoky Oldfield Mouse might minimize conservation risk at this time.

Bibliography. Anthony (1924b), Brito & Arguero (2016), Brito & Ojala-Barbour (2016), Lee, Burneo et al. (2008), Lee, Ritchie et al. (2015), Musser & Carleton (2005), Pacheco (2003, 2015b), Salazar-Bravo & Yates (2007), Tirira (2007), Voss (2003).