NO. 5 MAMMALS OF PANAMA — GOLDMAN 99 



ORYZOMYS TALAMANCAE Allen 

 Talamanca Rice Rat 



Orycomys talamanca Allen, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. 14, p. 193, July 24, 

 1891. Type from Talamanca, Costa Rica. (Probably near Sipurio, in 

 the valley of the Rio Sicsola.) 



Oryzomys panamensis Thomas, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 7, Vol. 8, p. 252, 

 September, 1901. Type from City of Panama, Panama. 



The Talamanca rice rat typifies a group of wide distribution in 

 South America; O. mollipilosus and 0. medius are closely allied 

 Colombian and Venezuelan forms, and others range as far as Brazil, 

 The pelage in 0. talamanca: is short and close and the general color 

 varies in rich rufescent to'nes. 



It was originally described from Costa Rica and is generally 

 distributed in Panama where it is one of the more abundant species, 

 ranging from sea level in the Canal Zone to 2,500 feet altitude on 

 the slopes of the mountains near the Colombian frontier. Specimens 

 were trapped mainly under logs and rocks and about the bases of 

 large trees in the heavy forest. 



Specimens from the Canal Zone which I identify with O. talamanccu 

 have been submitted to Mr. Oldfield Thomas for comparison with 

 the type of O. panamensis in the British Museum. Regarding them 

 he has written as follows : " We have only one specimen of 0. pana- 

 mensis and it is both larger and more rufous than your specimens. 

 But it is older ; the skull agrees in general characters and the tooth- 

 row is of exactly the same length. As to the colour I think the 

 difference is only due to the coming on of the faded fulvous stage 

 found in the old specimens of most species of Orysomys. Personally 

 I should certainly refer your specimens to panamensis." On the 

 basis of this comparison and other grounds O. panamensis seems to 

 belong in synonymy under O. talamanccu. Anthony (1916, p. 369) 

 states " the species was found sparingly throughout the lowlands 

 from the Canal Zone to the Darien." He records specimens from 

 Cituro, Maxon Ranch (Rio Trinidad), Tacarcuna and Tapalisa. 



Specimens examined : Cana, 7 ; Cituro, i * ; Cerro Brujo, i ; Gatun, 

 6 ; Maxon Ranch (Rio Trinidad), 3 ' ; Tacarcuna, i * ; Tapalisa, 9.* 



ORYZOMYS DEVIUS Bangs 

 Boquete Rice Rat 

 Oryzomys devius Bangs, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Vol. 39, No. 2, p. 34, text 

 figs. 13-14, April, 1902. Type from Boquete, Chiriqui, Panama (altitude 

 5,000 feet). 



The Boquete rice rat is a large species of a group which includes 

 0. meridensis and a number of other South American forms. No 



* Collection Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 



