Isothrix sinnamariensis, Vie et al., 1996

Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Echimyidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 552-604 : 583

59.

Sinnamary Brush-tailed Rat

Isothrix sinnamariensis

French: Rat-épineux du Sinnamary / German: Sinnamary-Borstenschwanzratte / Spanish: Rata de cola de cepillo de Sinnamary

Taxonomy. Isothrix sinnamariensis Vié et al., 1996 ,

“Sinnamary River right bank, 21 km upstream from the Petit Saut Dam, French Guiana (4°56-80’N-53°1-90’"W—altitude below 20 m).”

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Coast of French Guiana SW to S Suriname and Guyana.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 212-215 mm, tail 262 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Sinnamary Brush-tailed Rat is small, similar in most respects to the Plain Brush-tailed Rat (1. pagurus ). Dorsum is dark brown, somewhat more reddish brown over rump and hindquarters. Nose is slightly reddish brown. There are small black spots behind eyes, from which long vibrissae emanate. Ears are rounded and short, with small tufts of hair on inner and outer surfaces. Female Sinnamary Brush-tailed Rats have four pairs of lateral nipples and two inguinal ones. Tail is long and 124% of head-body length. Basal part oftail has short muff of dense hairs but otherwise is covered along its entire length by curled hairs, terminating in tuft of long hairs (35 mm) that coil downward. Patch of white hairs is present in ventral urogenital area. Hindfeet are broad, each digit possessing strong claws partially covered by short, pale hairs at base. It has typical craniodental characteristics of other species of Isothrix but differs from its close relative, the Plain Brush-tailed Rat, by its somewhat shorter maxillary tooth rows. Chromosomal complementis 2n = 28 and FN = 42.

Habitat. [Lowland rainforest in seasonally inundated and non-flooded, tall upland forests and non-flooded tall hill evergreen forest from near sea level to elevations of ¢.270 m. The Sinnamary Brush-tailed Rat is arboreal and builds nest in trees.

Food and Feeding. There is no information available for this species.

Breeding. There is no information available for this species.

Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Flooding from filling of the Petit Saut Dam destroyed habitat of the type locality of the Sinnamary Brush-tailed Rat in French Guiana. Additional studies on distribution, habitat, abundance, ecology, and conservation threats to Sinnamary Brush-tailed Rat are needed.

Bibliography. Eisenberg & Redford (1999), Emmons (1990, 1997a, 2005), Lim & Joemratie (2011), Patton etal. (2015), Vie et al. (1996), Woods (1993), Woods & Kilpatrick (2005).

Figures

12. Broad-headed Spiny-rat (Clyomys laticeps), 13. Guiara (Euryzygomatomys spinosus), 14. White-spined Spiny-rat (Irinomys albispinus), 15. Elias’s Spiny-rat (Trinomys eliasi), 16. Rigid-spined Atlantic Spiny-rat (Trinomys paratus), 17. Yonenaga’s Spiny-rat (Trinomys yonenagae), 18. Elegant-spined Atlantic Spiny-rat (Trinomys setosus), 19. Moojen’s Spiny-rat (Trinomys moojeni), 20. Pau Brasil Spiny-rat (Trinomys mirapitanga), 21. Rio de Janeiro Spiny-rat (Trinomys dimidiatus), 22. Sao Paulo Spiny-rat (Trinomys thering), 23. Gracile Atlantic Spiny-rat (Trinomys gratiosus), 24. Sao Lourenco Punare (Thrichomys laurentius), 25. Jacobina Punare (Thrichomys inermis), 26. Lagoa Santa Punare (Thrichomys apereoides), 27. Pantanal Punare (Thrichomys pachyurus), 28. Foster’s Punare (Thrichomys fosteri), 29. Painted Tree-rat (Callistomys pictus), 30. Coypu (Myocastor coypus), 31. Armored Rat (Hoplomys gymnurus)

Distribution. Coast of French Guiana SW to S Suriname and Guyana.