Delomys collinus Thomas 1917

Delomys collinus Thomas 1917, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, 20: 197.

Type Locality: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro State, Itatiaya, 4800 ft (1463 m).

Vernacular Names: Montane Delomys.

Distribution: Middle to upper elevations, 1000-2700 m, in disjunct mountain ranges (E Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro), SE Brazil.

Discussion: Voss (1993) noted the usual absence of pectoral mammae in this form, but absent clear mensural differentiation, elected to retain it under D. dorsalis, perhaps as a subspecies as originally placed by Thomas (1917 c); whereas, Bonvicino and Geise (1995) obtained different fundamental numbers from collinus samples compared with those of D. dorsalis (2n = 82 in both) and recommended specific recognition. The concordance of these independent traits, and others, should be verified with larger samples as a basis for reinforcing their status as distinct species.