3.

Andean Olingo

Bassaricyon n. sp.

French: Olingo des Andes / German: Anden-Makibar / Spanish: Olingo andino

Taxonomy. Bassaricyon n. sp. Helgen, in prep,

Las Maquinas, Ecuador .

Monotypic.

Distribution. The species lives in Andean cloud forest above 1500 m in Colombia, Ecuador, and possibly N Peru.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 32-40 cm, tail 33-43 cm; weight 0-75.1-1 kg. The Andean Olingo is similar in overall form to the Lowland Olingo, although obviously different in being of smaller size with a much longer, denser, and more richly colored pelage. In Ecuador Olingos have black-tipped, tan colored fur. Colombian animals are red-brown. The tail is not conspicuously banded, although when viewed in the right light a banding pattern is sometimes seen.

Habitat. Cloud forest between 1500-2750 m.

Food and Feeding. All records to date describe Olingos eating fruit, especially wild figs.

Activity patterns. Nocturnal and arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Nothing is known about their movements or social behaviors, although they are typically seen as singletons.

Breeding. The Olingo has a single pair of mammae and probably raises one young at a time.

Status and Conservation. This newly-described species has not been evaluated by The IUCN Red List. It apparently has a small geographic range in the Northern Andes, with a specialization on cloud forest habitats that are threatened by deforestation.

Bibliography. Helgen et al. (In prep).