New morphological data on the rare sigmodontine Mindomys hammondi (Rodentia, Cricetidae), an arboreal oryzomyine from north-western Andean montane forests

By

Brito M., Jorge
Tinoco, Nicolas
Curay, Jenny
Pardiñas, Ulyses F. J.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021-7-7

Original Publication

Neotropical Biology and Conservation

Volume

16

Series / Issue

Issue: 3

Pages

397--410

Subjects

Chocó , Ecuador , external morphology , Oryzomyini , soft anatomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Brazil Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/neotropical.16.e65875

 

Abstract

The monotypic rodent Mindomys Weksler, Percequillo & Voss, 2006 (Cricetidae, Sigmodontinae) is one of the rarest members of the speciose tribe Oryzomyini. As this species is restricted to the Chocó forests of the western Andean slope in northern Ecuador, our knowledge is based on a few specimens collected decades ago. Here we add the first data on some aspects of external anatomy (cheiridia examined in fresh, ears, rhinarium), genital anatomy (penis), soft anatomy (palate, stomach, caecum) and postcranial skeleton retrieved from a full adult male, recently trapped in Reserva Drácula, Carchi, Ecuador. Several features of this specimen, paradoxically the first to be added to Ecuadorian mammal collections, reinforce the view that Mindomys is an arboreal sigmodontine.