A new species of Phyllotis (Rodentia, Cricetidae, Sigmodontine) from the upper montane forest of the Yungas of northwestern Argentina

JAYAT, P.; D'ELÍA, G.; PARDIÑAS, U.F.J.; NAMEN, G.

The quintessential naturalist: honoring the life and legacy of Oliver P. Pearson

University of California Publications in Zoology

Lugar: Berkeley; Año: 2007; p. 775 - 798

We describe a new sigmodontine species of the genus Phyllotis. It was collected near Hualinchay, tucumán, argentina. the new species, which is a sister taxon to P. osilae, can be distinguished from other members of the genus by the following combination of traits: large size (slightly smaller than P. osilae and P. xanthopygus ); dorsal color dark gray; light ochraceous belly; ears covered internally and externally by obscure brown hairs; manus with digits and distal dorsum covered with white hair, proximal dorsum of the manus and pes darker; tail slightly bicolored and slightly haired, not penicillate; incisors with white  to  yellowish-white  enamel;  noticeably  hypsodont molars;  and several molecular  synapomorphies.  the  new  species  is  an  endemic  from  the  alder forests of the upper Yungas. the low number of specimens captured, despite intensive trapping eforts, suggests that it is rare and restricted to this type of forest. Considering the  rapid anthropogenic habitat  loss  in  the Yungas, we argue  that  further  intensive biodiversity studies and conservation plans are critical for this region