Oryzomys melanotis Thomas, 1893 . Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 6, 11:404.

TYPE LOCALITY: Mexico, Jalisco, Mineral San Sebastian .

DISTRIBUTION: Low to intermediate elevations of W Mexico, from S Sinaloa to SW Oaxaca.

SYNONYMS: colimensis.

COMMENTS: Revised by Goldman (1918), who recognized melanotis and rostratus as separate species within a melanotis species group. Hooper (1953) viewed the geographic complementarity of the two as a subspecific pattern, and so recognized by Hall and Kelson (1959) and Hall (1981). Engstrom (1984) returned rostratus to a separate species based on a robust variety of data interpreted within a zoogeographic context.