''Handleyomys rostratus'', also known as the long-nosed oryzomys, long-nosed rice rat, or rusty rice rat is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

in the genus ''

Handleyomys ''Handleyomys'' is a genus of Central and South American rodents in the tribe Oryzomyini of family Cricetidae. It was first described in 2002 to include two species from the Colombian Andes which were previously included in distinct and unrelat ...

'' of family

Cricetidae The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New World rats and mice. At almost 608 species, it is the second-largest family of mammals, and h ...

. It is found in

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, and

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

. It is nocturnal and is found in forests at elevations above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

to 1200 meters. The ''Handleyomys rostratus'' attains its highest level of development in south and Central America. High rates of

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...

and

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

are the biggest threat to the ''Handleyomys rostratus''.

References

Literature cited

*Almendra, Ana Laura; González-Cózatl, Francisco X.; Engstrom, Mark D.; Rogers, Duke S. (1 November 2018). "Evolutionary relationships and climatic niche evolution in the genus Handleyomys (Sigmodontinae: Oryzomyini)". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution''. 128: 12–25. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2018.06.018.

ISSN An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit serial number used to uniquely identify a serial publication, such as a magazine. The ISSN is especially helpful in distinguishing between serials with the same title. ISSNs ...

1055-7903. *Duff, A. and Lawson, A. 2004. Mammals of the World: A checklist. Yale University Press, 312 pp. *Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 ''in'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. *Merriam, Clinton Hart (1901). Synopsis of the Rice Rats (genus Oryzomys) of the United States and Mexico. The Academy. * * Mammals of Central America Mammals of Mexico Handleyomys Mammals described in 1901 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Clinton Hart Merriam {{Sigmodontinae-stub