Small mammals of the mid-Araguaia River in central Brazil, with the description of a new species of climbing rat
Author
Rocha, Rita G.
Author
Ferreira, Eduardo
Author
Costa, Barbara M. A.
Author
Martins, Iracy C. M.
Author
Leite, Yuri L. R.
Author
Costa, Leonora P.
Author
Fonseca, Carlos
text
Zootaxa
2011
2789
1
34
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.206170
6fa16a5a-560e-432f-ad9e-f93e8bd3e90d
1175-5326
206170
Calomys tocantinsi
Bonvicino
, Lima and Almeida
Identification.
A small-sized species with tail length shorter than head and body length. Dorsal pelage is grayish brown and body sides are lighter than the dorsum; ventral pelage is whitish gray. It has characteristic white fur patches posterior to the base of the ears. The bicolored tail is ventrally covered by light hairs and dorsally covered by dark hairs. Front and hind feet are white and the claws are covered by long ungual hairs.
Craniodental characters of our specimens (
Fig. 4
) closely agree with the description of this species by
Bonvicino
et al
. (2003)
. The rostrum is narrow and short, and incisors are opisthodont, the interorbital region converges anteriorly and has weakly developed supraorbital ridges. Incisive foramina are parallel-sided and long, reaching the procone of M1. The anterior edge of mesopterygoid fossa reaches the posterior plan of M3. The alisphenoid strut is absent. The M2 is similar to M1, but lacks the procingulum and M3 is clearly smaller than M2.
Measurements
(n = 16): HB = 82–115, T = 71–80, HF = 19–23, E = 18–20, W = 20–56.
Distribution.
Calomys tocantinsi
is endemic to the Cerrado of central
Brazil
(
Bonvicino
et al.
2003
) and previously known from just six localities in the states of Tocantins and Mato Grosso (
Bonvicino
et al.
2010
).
Natural history.
Twenty-three individuals (
17 adults
and six juveniles) of
C. tocantinsi
were captured on both banks of the Araguaia River. These captures were in pitfalls (n = 10) and Sherman traps (n = 13) placed mainly in grasslands. An additional skull was found inside a pitfall that was found open during a non-trapping period. Nine out of
12 females
captured in
October and November 2008
were reproductively active: three were pregnant, with five, seven and 10 embryos each, five had open vagina, and one was lactating.
Vouchers
(n = 16: 7ɗ 8Ψ 1 skull): UFES
1289–1303
, 1423.