''Thomasomys lojapiuranus'' 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 ''

Thomasomys ''Thomasomys'' is a genus of rodents in the family Cricetidae, named after British zoologist Oldfield Thomas. Nuclear DNA sequence analysis has indicated that it is a sister taxon to '' Rhagomys''. It contains the following species: * Anderson's ...

'' known from

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

. It consists of populations that were identified as ''

Thomasomys cinereus The ash-colored Oldfield mouse (''Thomasomys cinereus'') is a species of rodent in the genus ''Thomasomys''. It is found in montane forests of the Department of Cajamarca in northern Peru, at elevations of . Until 2023, it was thought to be more ...

'' until they were identified as a new species in 2023. The species occurs in the

Department of Piura Piura () is a coastal department and region in northwestern Peru. The region's capital is Piura and its largest port cities, Paita and Talara, are also among the most important in Peru. The area is known for its tropical and dry beaches. It i ...

in northern Peru and the adjacent

Loja Province Loja Province () is one of 24 Provinces of Ecuador, provinces in Ecuador and shares its southern border on the west with El Oro Province, on the north with El Azuay, and on the east with Zamora-Chinchipe Province, Zamora-Chinchipe. Founded on i ...

of southern Ecuador. The scientific name combines the names of these two administrative units. It occurs in

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

at an altitude of up to . The lowest elevation record is at , but this record is suspect as it is unusually low for ''Thomasomys'' and in an unusual habitat. The lowest secure record is at . Characteristic traits include brownish fur on the back, gray or brown fur on the lower side, and long mystacial vibrissae. The tail is slightly longer than the head and body. The rostrum, the front part of the skull, is relatively broad compared to similar species.

References

lojapiuranus Mammals of Ecuador Mammals of Peru Mammals described in 2023 {{Thomasomys-stub