118 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 75 



Oryzomys albigularis 

 Tomes' Rice Rat, Raton Arrocera 



Tomes' rice rat occurs at high elevations in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, 

 and Venezuela (Fig. 93). The Central American populations are restricted to eleva- 

 tions above 1 ,000 m in Costa Rica and the adjacent Chiriqui mountains of western 

 Panama. A single subspecies, Oryzomys albigularis devius, is recognized in Costa 

 Rica and western Panama. This northern disjunct population of O. albigularis is 

 isolated by the Panamanian lowlands from the populations in extreme eastern 

 Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela. Gardner (1983b) considered this disjunct 

 population to be a distinct species, Oryzomys devius. 



Tomes' rice rat previously was thought to be restricted in Costa Rica to the 

 Cordillera Central and Cordillera de Talamanca. However, we recently have found 

 this distinctive species to be abundant in the cloud forests above Monteverde in 

 Puntarenas Province at 1,740 to 1,780 m, thus extending its known range into the 

 Cordillera de Tilaran. 



We observed Tomes' rice rat at two localities in Braulio Carrillo at elevations 

 of 1,000 m and 2,050 m. They appear to be restricted to undisturbed forests. We 

 suspect that the species is widespread and common in appropriate habitats. An adult 

 female collected on 28 April carried three embryos (all in the right uterine horn) 

 with crown-rump lengths of 28 mm. Four adult males had testes that measured 

 15 X 9 mm, 13 x 9 mm, 13 x 8 mm, and 13 x 7 mm in April. Subadult-sized animals 

 were collected on 5-6 August 1967. 



Specimens examined (8)— 1.5 mi S of Cariblanco, 2,900 ft [1 male, 2 females, 

 MVZ]; 3.5 km S, 11.5 km E of San Miguel, 1,000 m [1 male, FMNH; 1 male, 

 UNA]; 5 km E of Vara Blanca, 2,050 m [1 male, 1 female, FMNH; 1 male, UNA]. 



Oryzomys alfari 

 Allen's Rice Rat, Raton 



Allen's rice rat is found from southeastern Honduras along the Caribbean 

 lowlands to western Panama. 



Three specimens of Oryzomys alfari are known from Heredia Province, two 

 of which were captured at La Selva. Fleming (1973) reported that the specimens 

 he collected were caught in live traps baited with corn and placed on the ground. 



Specimens examined (2)— Finca La Selva, 3 km S of Puerto Viejo [2 females, 

 UMMZ]. 



Additional record (1)— 32 mi S of Puerto Viejo [1, LACM]. 



Oryzomys bombycinus 

 Long-whiskered Rice Rat, Raton Arrocera 



Long-whiskered rice rats are known from only two localities in the eastern 

 Caribbean lowlands of Honduras and Nicaragua and from only a few additional 

 localities in Costa Rica, Panama, western Colombia, and Esmeraldas Province of 

 extreme northwestern Ecuador. The systematics and ecology of this poorly known 

 mouse were reviewed by Pine (1971) and Jones and Engstrom (1986). 



