Pattonomys semivillosus
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Echimyidae
Pattonomys
Pattonomys semivillosus

description: 74.
Colombian Speckled Tree-rat
Pattonomys semivillosus
French: Rat-épineux moucheté / German: Kolumbien-Tupfelbaumratte / Spanish: Rata arboricola de Colombia
Other common names: Speckled Spiny Tree-rat, Speckled Tree-rat
Taxonomy. Nelomys semivillosus I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1838,
“Carthageéne, (Nou-velle Grenade),” Cartagena, Bolivar, Colombia.
This species is monotypic.
Distribution. N Colombia, from the Lower Rio Magdalena Basin to the Caribbean coast.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 200-268 mm, tail 210-261 mm; weight 194— 407 g. The Colombian Speckled Tree-ratis medium-sized, with dorsum tinged brown and pale gray, mid-back mixed with yellowbuff or ocherous and black, flanks grayish but sometimes colored as back, and venter white or pale orange, although occasionally grayish. Ears are small, pale, and covered by thin and fine black hairs on the pinna edge. Post-auricular and subauricular patches of pale hairs are present and white tuft of hairs is present on antitragus. From shoulder to rump, dorsal pelage is heavily covered with long, stiff, and flexible spiny guard hairs, with conspicuous white tips and most abundant over rump and hindlegs. Underfuris thin, colored ocherous or yellowish. Muzzle is distinctively white, contrasting sharply with blackish head crown; sides of head are grayish. Neck and shoulder region are fulvous gray. Robust tail is 80-120% of head-body length and brownish; it is naked and thinly clothed with short hairs that are visible to the eye. Hindfeet are broad and bear stout claws; dorsal surfaces are gray or yellow-gray. There are two pairs of lateral mammae. Skull is more gracile and slender than Venezuelan species of Pattonomys; rostrum is short and narrow; supraorbital region is edged by narrow supraorbital ledges; auditory bullae are little inflated; and incisive foramina are narrow. Incisors are distinctly white.
Habitat. Swampy lowland (“cienagas”) of the lower Magdalena Valley from near sea level to elevations of ¢.600 m. The Colombian Speckled Tree-rat seems to be affiliated with dense evergreen tropical rainforest, a habitat that contrasts with that of closely related species.
Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Colombian Speckled Tree-ratis likely herbivorous.
Breeding. There is no information available for this species.
Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Colombian Speckled Tree-ratis reported to be nocturnal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Additional studies on distribution, habitat, abundance, ecology, and conservation threats to Colombian Speckled Tree-rat are needed.
Bibliography. Eisenberg (1989), Emmons (1990, 1997a, 2005), Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1838b), Patton et al. (2015), Tate (1939), Thomas (1916b), Trouessart (1880, 1904), Wagner (1843), Woods (1993), Woods & Kilpatrick (2005).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Echimyidae, pp. 552-604 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 591, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6623649