''Oligoryzomys destructor'', also known as Tschudi's colilargoMusser and Carleton, 2005 or the destructive pygmy rice rat, is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), 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 roden ...

in the genus ''

Oligoryzomys ''Oligoryzomys'' is a genus of rodents in the tribe Oryzomyini of family Cricetidae. Many species are known as pygmy rice rats or colilargos.Musser and Carleton, 2005 The genus is found from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego and includes approximately 1 ...

'' 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, a ...

. It is found along the eastern

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

from southern Colombia, through

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, and

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

into northern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

. Its

karyotype A karyotype is the general appearance of the complete set of metaphase chromosomes in the cells of a species or in an individual organism, mainly including their sizes, numbers, and shapes. Karyotyping is the process by which a karyotype is disce ...

has 2n = 60 and FNa = 76.

Description

''Oligoryzomys destructor'' is a small species of rice rat. The head is reddish-brown with many blackish hairs, and just behind the ears there are pale patches. The ears have short, pale brown hairs on the inside and longer, blackish hairs on the outside. The whiskers are black with white tips and the hairs at the end of the snout are white. The fur on the dorsal surface of the body is reddish-brown, interspersed with black hairs, and a few grey hairs with pale tips. The flanks are reddish-brown, the throat and chest are pale grey and the belly is yellowish-white. The tail is brown and slightly shorter than the combined head-and-body length. The upper surface of the hind feet bear short silvery hairs, with the hairs growing beside the nails being exceptionally long. The underside of the feet are pale brown.

Distribution and habitat

''O. destructor'' occurs on the eastern slopes of the

in South America, its altitudinal range being . Its range extends from southern Colombia and Ecuador to Peru, Bolivia and northwestern Argentina. Its habitat is tropical and subtropical forest and montane forest, and in Bolivia it has mostly been found in the

Yungas The Yungas ( Aymara ''yunka'' warm or temperate Andes or earth, Quechua ''yunka'' warm area on the slopes of the Andes) is a bioregion of a narrow band of forest along the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains from Peru and Bolivia, and extends i ...

, a transitional forest zone.

Status

''O. destructor'' has a wide range, and though its population size has not been estimated, in many places it is common and it is likely to have a large total population. No particular threats have been identified and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natur ...

has rated its conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. Th ...

References

Literature cited

* *Weksler, M., Tirira, D., Zeballos, H., Bernal, N., Vargas, J., Vivar, E. and Jayat, J.P. 2008. . In IUCN. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 3.1
www.iucnredlist.org
. Downloaded on 6 September 2015. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1763113 Oligoryzomys Mammals of Colombia Mammals of the Andes Mammals described in 1844 Taxa named by Johann Jakob von Tschudi Taxonomy articles created by Polbot