Calomys achaku Zeballos et al 2014

700.

Arequipa Vesper Mouse

Calomys achaku

French: Calomys de Arequipa / German: Arequipa-Vespermaus / Spanish: Raton laucha de Arequipa

Taxonomy. Calomys achaku Zeballos et al., 2014, Linde, 3292 m, Colca Valley, Arequipa, Peru.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Andes of SW Peru.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 65-99 mm, tail 59-80 mm, ear 14-1-21 mm, hindfoot 14-6-20 mm; weight 17-28 g. The Arequipa Vesper Mouse is small, with shorttail (83-4% of head-body length). Dursum is pale gray to brown grayish, with orange hairs on some specimens, and venter is white.

Habitat. High-elevation grasslands dominated by Stipa ichu and Festuca orthophylla (both Poaceae), Parastrephia lepidophylla (Asteraceae) shrubland, crop lands, and patches of Polylepis (Rosaceae) forest.

Food and Feeding. The Arequipa Vesper Mouse is mainly insectivorous.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Hershkovitz (1962), Olds (1988), Pearson & Patton (1976), Pizzimenti & de Salle (1980, 1981), Salazar-Bravo (2015¢), Zeballos et al. (2014).