Nectomys apicalis Peters, 1861

Ruelas, Dennisse & Pacheco, Victor, 2021, Small mammals from the Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests of the Huallaga river basin and new records for San Martín department, Peru, Check List 17 (3), pp. 877-894 : 885

Nectomys apicalis Peters, 1861

Material examined. PERU • Ojos de Agua private conservation area, Picota Province; 06°50′41″S, 076°27′ 54″W; 383 m elevation; 07.IX.2015; D. Ruelas leg.; snaptrap; 1 ♀, MUSM 43909 ; juvenile .

Identification. Our specimen is juvenile (age class 1, following Voss 1991) and was recognized by the following combination of morphological characters: dorsal fur uniformly grayish brown; underparts pale neutral gray moderately washed; dark brown tail, pinnae entirely gray; hindfoot with five plantar pads and plantar surface squa- mate; narrow and deep posterolateral palatal pits; opisthodont incisors; interparietal deep relative to its width. Morphological characters of this specimen agree with those described by Bonvicino and Weksler (2015) and with specimens in the MUSM collection (Cusco Department: MUSM 9190–9192; Madre de Dios Department: MUSM 9211–9213). External measurements: TL: 250 mm, T: 130 mm, F: 36 mm, E: 21 mm. Weight: 50 g.

Remarks. Nectomys apicalis is widely distributed in eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and northwestern Brazil but considered rare (Bonvicino and Weksler 2015). These authors also suggest that Nectomys apicalis may represent a species complex that needs study. In Peru, it is distributed in the Selva Baja and Sabana de Palmera ecoregions ( Pacheco et al. 2009). Additional records. Tarapoto, San Martín Province (MUSM 5062); Huicungo, Mariscal Cáceres Province (MUSM 24398).