Diplomys labilis Bangs 1901
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
Diplomys
Diplomys labilis

description: 71.
Central American Rufous Tree-rat
Diplomys labilis
French: Rat-épineux du Panama / German: Panama-Baumstachelratte / Spanish: Rata arboricola de Centroamérica
Other common names: Rufous Soft-furred Spiny-rat, Rufous Tree-rat
Taxonomy. Loncheres labilis Bangs, 1901,
“San Miguel Island, [Archipiélago de las Perlas], Panama.”
Diplomys labilis has been variously placed in the genera Echimys or Phyllomys by early authors; O. Thomas in 1916 was the first to assign it to Diplomys. Two subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
D. I. labilis Bangs, 1901 — San Miguel I, Pearl Is (off SC Panama).
D. l. darlingi Goldman, 1912 — from C Panama to the Choco and Antioquia departments of W Colombia and S along Pacific coast to NW Ecuador.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 340 mm, tail 200 mm; weight up to 492 g. The Central American Rufous Tree-rat is larger than the Colombian Rufous Tree-rat (D. caniceps). Its fur is stiff but soft, without bristles or spines. Upper parts are ocherous buff to bright rusty, with some black-tipped hairs. Face has grayish mask. Vibrissae are streaked at bases by distinctive white vertical stripes. Whitish stripe of hairs is present around edge of pinnae and behind ears. Ears are otherwise dark, rounded, and short, divided by large anterior lobe and smaller posterior lobe, edged by small fringe of longer hairs. Vibrissae are long, extending toward shoulders. Ventral colors are quite variable, ranging from dark to pale rufous. Face is marked with small pale spots above eyes, contrasting a black eye ring. Tail is robust, 70-100% of head-body length, unicolored brownish, and covered by short hairs that become longer toward tip. The Central American Rufous Tree-rat has distinct short tuft of hair at tip of tail. Like in the Colombian Rufous Tree-rat,tail scales are not visible beneath hair cover. Hindfeet and front feet are silvery gray above. Skull and teeth of the Central American Rufous Tree-rat are typical of Diplomys but with three major differences compared with the Colombian Rufous Tree-rat: narrower palate, premaxilla sometimes extending anteriorly beyond the nasals, and tooth rows that are parallel.
Habitat. Evergreen and deciduous forests, mangroves, cultivated plantations, and second-growth forests at elevations of 300-1500 m. The arboreal Central American Rufous Tree-rat occurs in lowland primary and secondary rainforests of north-western Colombia, southern Panama and northern Ecuador. A study of ectoparasites based on 77 captured specimens indicated preference for disturbed forests near agricultural plots of corn, yucca, coffee, and citrus fruits. It was mainly captured in trees preserved to provide shade for crops. All individuals were obtained from tree holes well above the ground and in trees mainly near rivers and covered with epiphytes that otherwise housed a large arboreal mammal community.
Food and Feeding. Captive Central America Rufous Tree-rats in Panama have been reported to feed on leaves, seeds, and fruits, thus suggesting a generalized frugivorous and folivorous diet.
Breeding. Female Central American Rufous Tree-rats give birth to precocial large, fully haired, and well-developed young of 30-40 g. One female was found with a near term fetus, weighting 59-5 g, or 12% of her 492g body weight. Pregnant females have been collected in January, March-May, August-September, and November. Recorded litter sizes are 1-2 young (mean 1-2). Nests are built in tree holes.
Activity patterns. The Central American Rufous Tree-ratis strictly nocturnal. During the day, individuals sleep individually or in pairs of adults in their tree hole nests.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Central American Rufous Tree-rat has been reported to move slowly and avoid detection by remaining motionless for long time periods. Itis an agile climber. Local people comment that individuals may stick out their heads from their tree holes when disturbed. Central American Rufous Tree-rats have been reported to live in pairs that might travel and forage together at night. Captive individuals have been reported to be very aggressive, especially compared with their more gentle terrestrial and sympatric echimyid relatives, Hoplomys and Proechimys. Central American Rufous Tree-rats emit high-pitched calls when disturbed.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Parasitological surveys in Panama suggest that the Central American Rufous Tree-rat is abundant near disturbed habitat. Because much of its distribution has been logged, additional ecological studies of the Central American Rufous Tree-rat are needed because of its rarity in collections and lack offield studies.
Bibliography. Alberico et al. (2000), Allen (1916b), Bangs (1901), Eisenberg (1989), Emmons (1990, 1997a, 2005), Goldman (1912a, 1912b), Hall (1981), Handley (1966), Méndez (1967), Patton et al. (2015), Paynter (1993), Tesh (1970), Thomas (1916a, 1916b), Tirira (2007), Trouessart (1904), 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 590, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6623649