Oryzomys albigularis Tomes 1860

Oryzomys albigularis Tomes 1860, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1860: 264.

Type Locality: Ecuador, Chimborazo Prov., Pallatanga, 4950 ft (1509 m).

Vernacular Names: White-throated Oryzomys.

Synonyms: Oryzomys childi Thomas 1895; Oryzomys maculiventer J. A. Allen 1891; Oryzomys moerex Thomas 1914; Oryzomys oconnelli J. A. Allen 1913; Oryzomys pectoralis J. A. Allen 1912; Oryzomys pirrensis Goldman 1913; Oryzomys villosus J. A. Allen 1899 .

Distribution: Montane forests of N and W Venezuela, easternmost Panamá, Andes of Colombia and Ecuador, to N Perú.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Hershkovitz’s (1944) footnoted listing of specific synonyms of O. albigularis set the precedent for Cabrera’s (1961) arrangement of the South American forms as subspecies, a viewpoint reiterated in regional studies (e.g., Handley, 1966 a, 1976). Gardner and Patton (1976) demonstrated the composite nature of Hershkovitz’s (1944) and Cabrera’s (1961) concept of albigularis; however, the determination of priority and refinement of distributions require much museum-based research. Here we follow the taxonomy of Gardner and Patton (1976), Patton et al. (1990), and Márquez et al. (2000) in recognizing O. auriventer, O. caracolus, O. devius, O. keaysi, O. levipes, and O. meridensis as separate species (see those accounts). Gardner and Patton (1976) reassociated Cabrera’s (1961) name-combination O. a. boliviae as a junior synonym of O. nitidus . Potential and actual distribution in Venezuela evaluated using GIS techniques by Anderson (2003 b).