Oxymycterus paramensis Thomas 1902

Oxymycterus paramensis Thomas 1902, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7, 9: 139.

Type Locality: Bolivia, Cochabamba Dept., upper Río Securé, Choquecamate, 4000 m.

Vernacular Names: Yungas Hocicudo.

Synonyms: Oxymycterus jacentior Thomas 1925; Oxymycterus nigrifrons Osgood 1944 .

Distribution: Middle to upper E Andean slopes, ca. 1000-4000 m, in SE Perú, WC Bolivia, and NW Argentina.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Parenthetically mentioned as a subspecies of rutilans (= O. rufus) by Hershkovitz (1966 c) but most systematists have recognized paramensis as a species (Anderson, 1997; Cabrera, 1961; Gyldenstolpe, 1932; Honacki et al., 1982; Musser and Carleton, 1993). Allozymic (Hinososa et al., 1987) and gene-sequence (Hoffmann et al., 2002) analyses support sibling kinship with O. hiska, and the latter study underscores its genetic differentiation from O. rufus . Musser and Carleton (1993) suggested that placement of jacentior with this species merits reconsideration; Cabrera (1961) retained it, nigrifrons, and the nominate form as discernable subspecies, as did Anderson (1997:Fig. 728) for Bolivian populations.