Sigmodon (Sigmodon) zanjonensis Goodwin 1932

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Cricetidae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 955-1189 : 1177

Sigmodon (Sigmodon) zanjonensis Goodwin 1932

Sigmodon (Sigmodon) zanjonensis Goodwin 1932 , Am. Mus . Novit., 528: 1.

Type Locality: Guatemala, Quezaltenango Dept., Zanjón, 9000 ft (2743 m).

Vernacular Names: Montane Cotton Rat.

Synonyms: Sigmodon (Sigmodon) villae Goodwin 1958 .

Distribution: Highlands of Chiapas, México, and Guatemala.

Discussion: Subgenus Sigmodon ( S. hispidus species group?). Described as species, but soon afterwards relegated to subspecies by Goodwin (1934) and thereafter maintained ( Hall and Kelson, 1959; Hall, 1981). With dismantling of the polyphyletic mishmash of hispidus , the status and relationship of these highland Central American taxa remain uncertain, as noted by Carleton et al. (1999). The geographic and altitudinal ranges as illustrated in conventional maps (e.g., Hall, 1981) are improbably broad and likely include lowland populations referrable to S. toltecus and possibly S. hirsutus ; limits require critical analysis and vouchered documentation. In certain cranial and pelage traits, examples of S. zanjonensis resemble S. alleni ; such impressions require empirical testing.