| Nephelomys meridensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Sigmodontinae |
| Genus: | Nephelomys |
| Species: | N. meridensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Nephelomys meridensis (Thomas, 1894) | |
| Synonyms | |
Oryzomys meridensisThomas, 1894 | |
Nephelomys meridensis, also known as theMérida oryzomys,[2] is a species ofrodent in the genusNephelomys of familyCricetidae.[3] It is found incloud forest in theSierra Nevada de Mérida of westernVenezuela at elevations from 1100 to 4000 m.[1] It is solitary,nocturnal and terrestrial, and has a varied diet.[1]
N. meridensis has thick fur, which is about 11 mm long at the back. The color of the upperparts is rufous, with brown on the head, and becomes lighter towards the sides. The coloration of the underparts, which is well demarcated from that of the upper parts, is greyish, with a pure white area at the chest. The very large ears are covered with thin dark hairs. The hand and feet, whitish in color, are sparsely haired. The tail is brown above and somewhat paler below, and is not well-furred. Theincisive foramina, openings in thepalate before themolars, are short. In theholotype, the head and body length is 139 millimetres (5.47 in), the tail length is 143 millimetres (5.63 in), the hindfoot length is 30.7 millimetres (1.21 in), the ear length is 21 millimetres (0.83 in), and the skull length is 34.5 millimetres (1.36 in).[4]
It was first described in 1894 byOldfield Thomas, who named itOryzomys meridensis and considered it to be close toO. albigularis (currentlyNephelomys albigularis) andO. velutinus (currently included inHylaeamys megacephalus).[4] In the next two decades, various other species were described in the group ofO. albigularis andO. meridensis, which were eventually, in 1944, all consolidated underO. albigularis byPhilip Hershkovitz.[5] Because of differences inkaryotype andmorphology, it was reinstated as a species separate from bothO. albigularis and the other Venezuelan member of the group,O. caracolus, in the 1990s.[2] When the species of theO. albigularis group were reclassified into the new genusNephelomys in 2006, it was retained as a species, now namedNephelomys meridensis.[3] InTáchira, populations with a differentkaryotype occur, which may represent a different species.[1]
