''Neotoma insularis'', the Angel de la Guarda woodrat, 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 Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

in the 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 over 870 species, it is either the largest or second-largest family ...

. It is found in the Mexican state of

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

on Angel de la Guarda Island.

Description

This species is described as being of medium body size with a relatively short tail.

Classification

This species, initially described as such by Townsend in 1912, was listed as a subspecies of '' Neotoma lepida'' by Burt in 1932. Patton et al. (2008) revised the systematic position of ''Neotoma lepida'' and found it to be a species complex, with ''N. l. insularis'' being readily distinct from ''N. lepida'', by means of mtDNA phylogeny and various morphological attributes, therefore reverting this population to its initial status as a species, as described by Townsend.

References

Neotoma Rodents of Mexico Mammals described in 1912 Taxa named by Charles Haskins Townsend {{Neotoma-stub