Akodon subfuscus (Osgood, 1944)

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Cricetidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 204-535 : 475

560.

Puno Grass Mouse

Akodon subfuscus

French: Akodon de Puno / German: Puno-Graslandmaus / Spanish: Raton campestre de Puna

Other common names: Puno Akodont

Taxonomy. Akodon boliviensis subfuscus Osgood, 1944 , “Limbani, Puno, Inambari drainage, Peru. Altitude about 9000 ft [= 2743 m].” Two subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

A.s.subfuscusOsgood,1944—NAltiplanoandEAndeanslopes,SPeru.

A. s. arequipae Myers, Patton & M. F. Smith, 1990 — W side of the Altiplano and upper slopes of the W Andes Range, from S Peru to C Bolivia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 92 and 80 mm, tail 68 and 64 mm, ear 14 and 13 mm, hindfoot 21 and 20 mm (mean values for series of subspecies subfuscus and arequipae, respectively); weight 21-5 g. The Puno Grass Mouse is a small species of Akodon . Dorsal color is uniform from head to rump, olivaceous to grayish brown, and heavily lined with black; faint buffy or yellowish eye-ring is present; venter is lighter than dorsum, with tips of hairs dark buff to whitish; most specimens have small patch of all-white hair on chin; and tail is sharply bicolored and moderately furry, with middorsal stripe.

Habitat. Puna grasslands at elevations of 1900-2500 m and above.

Food and Feeding. The Puno Grass Mouse eats arthropods (more than 90%), plant material, and mycorrhizal spores.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Puno Grass Mouse is terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Alvarez (2016), Anderson (1997), Dunnum, Vargas, Bernal, Zeballos, Vivar & Patterson (2016), Myers & Patton (1989a), Myers et al. (1990), Pardinas, Teta, Alvarado-Serrano et al. (2015), Salazar-Bravo, Yensen et al. (2002), Solari (2007), Tarifa et al. (2007), Vargas (2005).

Figures

554. Colombian Grass Mouse (Akodon affinus), 555. Soft-furred Grass Mouse (Akodon mollis), 556. Yungas Grass Mouse (Akodon aerosus), 557. El Dorado Grass Mouse (Akodon orophilus)

Subspecies and Distribution. A.s.subfuscusOsgood,1944—NAltiplanoandEAndeanslopes,SPeru. A. s. arequipae Myers, Patton & M. F. Smith, 1990 — W side of the Altiplano and upper slopes of the W Andes Range, from S Peru to C Bolivia.