Phyllotis haggardi Thomas

VOSS, ROBERT S., 2003, A New Species of Thomasomys (Rodentia: Muridae) from Eastern Ecuador, with Remarks on Mammalian Diversity and Biogeography in the Cordillera Oriental, American Museum Novitates 3421, pp. 1-48 : 24

Phyllotis haggardi Thomas

SPECIMENS COLLECTED: None.

OTHER MATERIAL: Nine specimens in the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH 66624–66632) were collected by H.E. Anthony and G.H.H. Tate between 4115 and 4570 m on Cerro Antisana in 1923. Other specimens from the vicinity of Papallacta are labeled ‘‘Papallacta 11,500 ft about’’ (AMNH 46824, collected by L. Söderström in 1903) and ‘‘Antisana 12,000 ft’’ (AMNH 36293–36296, collected by W.B. Richardson in 1913).

TAXONOMY: The genus Phyllotis was revised by Pearson (1958) and by Hershkovitz (1962), both of whom examined the material listed above. However, whereas Pearson referred the local population to the subspecies P. haggardi fuscus Anthony (1924a) , Hershkovitz attributed phenotypic variation among samples of P. haggardi to clinal environmental factors and did not recognize subspecific taxa.

Reithrodontomys (Aporodon) mexicanus (Saussure)

SPECIMENS COLLECTED: 8.9 km (by road) W Papallacta, 12,480 ft (UMMZ 127159).

OTHER MATERIAL: None.

TAXONOMY: The single available specimen of a harvest mouse from the Papallacta region, a fluid­preserved old adult with extracted skull, is referable to Reithrodontomys mexicanus as that taxon was recognized in Hooper’s (1952) generic revision. According to Hooper, three valid subspecies of R. mexicanus are present in northern Ecuador, including soderstromi Thomas (1898), milleri Allen (1912), and eremicus Hershkovitz (1941). Unfortunately, none can be effectively diagnosed by cranial characters, and meaningful pelage color comparisons are impossible with the alcohol­bleached material at hand.

FIELD OBSERVATIONS: The specimen I collected in 1978 was trapped at an elevation of 3754 m next to a rocky stream bordered by grassy páramo vegetation.