PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



issued |o"«\N-^r S^toI ^y '^' 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Vol. 110 Washington : I960 No. 3420 



MAMMALS OF NORTHERN COLOMBIA, PRELIMINARY 

 REPORT NO. 8: ARBOREAL RICE RATS, A SYSTEMATIC 

 REVISION OF THE SUBGENUS OECOMYS, GENUS 



ORYZOMYS 



By Philip Hershkovitz'^ 



Arboreal rice rats are small to medium-sized cricetines of the 

 genus Oryzomys (family Muridae). They are found only in tropical 

 and subtropical zone forests of Central and South America. Of the 

 two recognized species, the larger, Oryzomys (Oecomys) concolor, occurs 

 in northern Colombia. 



The author collected 27 specimens from six localities during his 

 1941-43 tenure of the Walter Rathbone Bacon Traveling Scholarship 

 and 38 specimens, including six of the smaller species, Oryzomys 

 (Oecomys) bicolor, in other parts of Colombia while conducting the 

 Chicago Natural History Museum-Colombian Zoological Expedi- 

 tion (1949-52). This material and pertinent field observations are 

 the basis of the present report. 



' Previous reports in this series have been published in the Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum as 

 follows: 



1. Squirrels, vol. 97, August 2.5, 1947. 



2. Spiny rats, vol. 97, January 6, 1948. 



3. Water rats, vol. 98, Jime 30, 1948. 



4. Monkeys, vol. 98, May 10, 1949. 



5. Bats, vol. 99, May 10, 1949. 



fi. Rabbits, vol. 100, May 26. 19.50. 



7. Tapirs, vol. 103, May 18, 1954. 



Curator of Mammals, Chicago Natural History Museum. 



513 



604676—59 1 



