Cricetidae
Author
Don E. Wilson
Author
Russell A. Mittermeier
Author
Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
text
2017
2017-11-30
Lynx Edicions
Barcelona
Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II
204
535
book chapter
80832
10.5281/zenodo.6707142
ab66b2b7-9544-4411-bf61-5bc3651d7bca
978-84-16728-04-6
6707142
661.
Slender Oldfield Mouse
Thomasomys gracilis
French:
Thomasomys gracile
/
German:
Zierliche Paramomaus
/
Spanish:
Raton de erial esbelto
Other common names:
Gracile Thomasomys
Taxonomy.
Thomasomys gracilis Thomas, 1917
,
“Matchu Picchu,
12,000 feet
[=
3658 m
],”
Cusco
,
Peru
.
Systematics of 1.
gracilis
relative to 1.
cinnameus
and 1. hudson: is unclear and requires additional taxonomic research. Monotypic.
Distribution.
SE Peru (Cusco Region).
Descriptive notes.
Head-body 83-101 mm, tail 120 mm, ear 15-18 mm, hindfoot 22-23 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Dorsal fur of the Slender Oldfield Mouse is soft, dense, and comparatively long (average 11 mm). Dorsum is dark grayish buff or clay, with undefined dark region along midline over rump. Venteris soiled grayish buff, with hairs slaty basally and not sharply contrasting with dorsum. Ears are blackish and contrast with head color. Mystacial vibrissae are moderately long, extending backward slightly beyond pinnae when bent. Tail is 119-142% of head-body length, poorly bicolored but overall blackish brown and uniform, with tip sometimes white. Hindfoot has dark brown metatarsal patch, with edges and digits lighter. No gap occurs between thenar and hypothenar pads. Hallux is long.
Habitat.
Montane forests with wet bunch grass on gently sloping ground or steep slopes dominated by melastome (
Melastomataceae
) shrubs and ferns and elfin forest patches of bamboo thickets and large mossand epiphyte-covered trees at elevations of 277-4270 m.
Food and Feeding.
No information.
Breeding.
In May during the rainy season, two male Slender Oldfield Mice had scrotal testes; two others had very small, nonscrotal testes (3 mm); and two females has finished lactating.
Activity patterns.
No information.
Movements, Home range and Social organization.
No information.
Status and Conservation.
Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List.
Bibliography.
Eisenberg & Redford (1999), Pacheco & Vargas (2008a).