Pattonomys punctatus (Thomas, 1899)
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6623649 |
DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6624682 |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03C5A071-FFC5-FFF1-FFDE-510C5223FD71 |
treatment provided by |
Carolina |
scientific name |
Pattonomys punctatus |
status |
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Orinocan Speckled Tree-rat
French: Rat-épineux ponctué / German: Orinoco-Tupfelbaumratte / Spanish: Rata arboricola del Orinoco
Taxonomy. Loncheres punctatus Thomas, 1899 ,
“Caicara, Orinoco,” Bolivar, Ven-ezuela .
This species is monotypic.
Distribution. Middle Orinoco River Basin in C Venezuela. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 236 mm, tail 233 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Orinocan Speckled Tree-rat is one of the largest species of Pattonomys . Fur is spiny, with wide spines reaching 20 mm over back. Overall color is pale gray, with whitish speckles and rufous tint due to hairs with reddish tips but gray bases. Spines on rump are grayish, white basally and tipped with white. Fur on head is coarsely mixed black and white; ears are covered with fine black hairs around their edges, with small tuft of whitish hairs on antitragus and distinct white post-auricular patch. Venter is white, sharply contrasting from gray flanks. Inner surfaces of thighs are white, and outer ones are gray. Forefeet and hindfeet are gray above, with hindfeet white along medial margins; toes are white. Tail is 96-99% of head-body length, thinly haired with visible scales, and uniformly brown from base to tip, only slightly paler below. Skull has nasals equal in length to premaxillary processes, flattened frontal region, broadly expanded supraoccipital ridges, and narrow rather than spatulate hamular processes. Based on the few available specimens, cranial dimensions of the Orinocan Speckled Tree-rat appear to be largest among species of Pattonomys .
Habitat. Mainly tropical dry forests in the upper Los Llanos of the central Orinoco Basin from sea level to elevations of ¢.100 m (based on only a few known localities).
Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Orinocan Speckled Tree-rat is probably herbivorous.
Breeding. There is no information available for this species.
Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Orinocan Speckled Tree-rat is reportedly nocturnal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.
Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Additional studies on distribution, habitat, ecology, abundance, and conservation threats to Orinocan Speckled Tree-rat are needed.
Bibliography. Eisenberg (1989), Emmons (1990, 1997a, 2005), Patton et al. (2015), Tate (1935, 1939), Thomas (1899b), Trouessart (1904), Woods (1993), Woods & Kilpatrick (2005).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
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Genus |
Pattonomys punctatus
Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier 2016 |
Loncheres punctatus
Thomas 1899 |