''Nephelomys maculiventer'' 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 genus ''

Nephelomys ''Nephelomys'' is a genus of South American oryzomyine rodents found in the Andes from Bolivia to Venezuela, with a westward extension into the mountains of Costa Rica. Its generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek word ''nephelê'' "mist", ...

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

. The type locality is in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, at "Sierra El Libano, alt. 6000 ft, Santa Marta District". It was originally described on the basis of 47 specimens, including 34 from Sierra El Libano and 13 from "Valparaiso". ''N. maculiventer'' has long and soft fur that is rufous in color on the upperparts and becomes lighter towards the sides. This coloration changes abruptly into that of the underparts, which are pure white in some adults. Juveniles are darker in color, with the underparts dark gray. As the animal matures, the gray fur of the underparts is gradually replaced by white fur. The ears are brown and nearly unhaired. The hindfeet are gray. The tail is brown above and lighter below. In 29 individuals of both sexes, the total length varies from , the tail length from , and the hindfoot length (including claws) from . On average, males are slightly larger than females.

Joel Asaph Allen Joel Asaph Allen (July 19, 1838 – August 29, 1921) was an American zoology, zoologist, mammalogy, mammalogist, and ornithology, ornithologist. He became the first president of the American Ornithologists' Union, the first curator of birds and ma ...

, who named the species, classified it as a member of ''

Oryzomys ''Oryzomys'' is a genus of semiaquatic rodents in the tribe Oryzomyini living in southern North America and far northern South America. It includes eight species, two of which—the marsh rice rat (''O. palustris'') of the United States and ...

'', ''Oryzomys maculiventer'', and compared it to the species now known as '' Nephelomys meridensis'' and ''

Nephelomys albigularis ''Nephelomys albigularis'', also known as the white-throated oryzomys or Tomes's rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus '' Nephelomys'' of family Cricetidae. Described in 1860, it was the first ''Nephelomys'' species to be discovered. It w ...

''. He described it as one of the largest members of ''Oryzomys'' as he understood the genus and also noted its distinctive coloration and the relatively short

incisive foramina In the human mouth, the incisive foramen (also known as: "''anterior palatine foramen''", or "''nasopalatine foramen''") is the opening of the incisive canals on the hard palate immediately behind the incisor teeth. It gives passage to blood vesse ...

. Later, it was submerged in a broadly defined ''Oryzomys albigularis'' (currently ''Nephelomys albigularis''), but when the genus ''

'' was extracted from ''Oryzomys'' in 2006, ''N. maculiventer'' was reinstated as a separate species.

References

Literature cited

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16992137 Nephelomys Taxa named by Joel Asaph Allen Mammals described in 1899