Nephelomys childi
Encyclopedia
Nephelomys childi is a species of rodent
in the genus Nephelomys
of family Cricetidae
. The type locality is at Bogotá
, Colombia, and the type locality of its junior synonym
, oconnelli, is at a place known as Buenavista, about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Bogotá. It was named after Mr. George D. Child, who assisted in obtaining the type series.
The holotype
is a medium-sized animal with a long tail. The fur on the back is relatively long, at 11 to 12 mm (0.433070866141732 to 0.47244094488189 in). The upperparts are generally grey–brown in color, with a darker patch at the middle of the back. There is a clear separation in color between the upperparts and the underparts, which have light grey hairs with white tips. The upper surface of the long feet is whitish. The large ears are black and covered with fine hairs. The tail is brown above and near-white below. The head and body length is 131 millimetres (5.16 in), the tail length is 143 millimetres (5.63 in), the hindfoot length is 31 millimetres (1.22 in), and the ear length is 16 millimetre (0.62992125984252 in).
Both N. childi and its synonym oconnelli were originally described as species of Oryzomys
, Oryzomys childi and Oryzomys o'connelli. They were compared, respectively, to O. meridensis (currently Nephelomys meridensis) and O. pectoralis (currently Nephelomys pectoralis
). Later they were submerged in a broadly defined Oryzomys albigularis (currently Nephelomys albigularis), but when the genus Nephelomys
was extracted from Oryzomys in 2006, N. childi was reinstated as a separate species.
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
in the genus Nephelomys
Nephelomys
Nephelomys is a genus of South American oryzomyine rodents found in the Andes from Bolivia to Venezuela, with a westward extension into the mountains of Costa Rica...
of family Cricetidae
Cricetidae
The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, and New World rats and mice...
. The type locality is at Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Colombia, and the type locality of its junior synonym
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
, oconnelli, is at a place known as Buenavista, about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Bogotá. It was named after Mr. George D. Child, who assisted in obtaining the type series.
The holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
is a medium-sized animal with a long tail. The fur on the back is relatively long, at 11 to 12 mm (0.433070866141732 to 0.47244094488189 in). The upperparts are generally grey–brown in color, with a darker patch at the middle of the back. There is a clear separation in color between the upperparts and the underparts, which have light grey hairs with white tips. The upper surface of the long feet is whitish. The large ears are black and covered with fine hairs. The tail is brown above and near-white below. The head and body length is 131 millimetres (5.16 in), the tail length is 143 millimetres (5.63 in), the hindfoot length is 31 millimetres (1.22 in), and the ear length is 16 millimetre (0.62992125984252 in).
Both N. childi and its synonym oconnelli were originally described as species of Oryzomys
Oryzomys
Oryzomys is a genus of semiaquatic rodents in the tribe Oryzomyini living in southern North America and far northern South America. It includes eight species, two of which—the marsh rice rat of the United States and O. couesi of Mexico and Central America—are widespread; the six others have...
, Oryzomys childi and Oryzomys o'connelli. They were compared, respectively, to O. meridensis (currently Nephelomys meridensis) and O. pectoralis (currently Nephelomys pectoralis
Nephelomys pectoralis
Nephelomys pectoralis is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. Its type locality is west of the city of Popayán, Cauca Department, Colombia, at an altitude of . American zoologist Joel Asaph Allen first described it in 1912 on the basis of 112 specimens from several...
). Later they were submerged in a broadly defined Oryzomys albigularis (currently Nephelomys albigularis), but when the genus Nephelomys
Nephelomys
Nephelomys is a genus of South American oryzomyine rodents found in the Andes from Bolivia to Venezuela, with a westward extension into the mountains of Costa Rica...
was extracted from Oryzomys in 2006, N. childi was reinstated as a separate species.
Literature cited
- Allen, J.A. 1913. New South American Muridae. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 32:597–604.
- Musser, G.G. and Carleton, M.D. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. Pp. 894–1531 in Wilson, D.E. and Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference. 3rd ed. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols., 2142 pp. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0
- Thomas, O. 1895. On small mammals from Nicaragua and Bogota. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (6)16:55–60.
- Weksler, M., A. R. Percequillo, and R.S. Voss. 2006. Ten new genera of oryzomyine rodents (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae). American Museum Novitates 3537:1–29.