Akodon (Akodon) torques Thomas 1917

Akodon (Akodon) torques Thomas 1917, Smithson. Misc. Coll., 68: 3.

Type Locality: Perú, Cuzco Dept., Machu Picchu, 10,000 ft (3048 m).

Vernacular Names: Cloud Forest Akodont.

Distribution: E Andean cloud forest, 2000-3500 m, SE Perú.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Subgenus Akodon . Relegated to a subspecies of A. orophilus (e.g., Cabrera, 1961), but recent studies have revealed that torques is a genetically distinctive form more closely related to A. mollis (Patton and Smith, 1992; Patton et al., 1989, 1990). Described as a species of Microxus but considered a member of Akodon proper by later authors (Ellerman, 1941; Thomas, 1927), placement vindicated by allozymic and cytochrome b data (Patton et al., 1989; Smith and Patton, 1993).