Phyllotis magister, Thomas, 1912

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Cricetidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 204-535 : 526

734.

Master Leaf-eared Mouse

Phyllotis magister

French: Phyllotis maitre / German: Kommune Blattohrmaus / Spanish: Raton orejudo maestro

Other common names: Majestic Pericote

Taxonomy. Phyllotis magister Thomas, 1912 , “ Arequipa, [Arequipa,] Peru. Alt.

2300 m.” This species is monotypic.

Distribution. WC Peru S to N Chile.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 108-145 mm, tail 158 mm, ear 29 mm, hindfoot 32 mm; weight 50-90 g. The Master Leaf-eared Mouse has coarse hair. Dorsum is buffy or ocherous, finely lined with black; head and shoulders are sometimes paler, contrasting back. Venter is withish, with gray basal color of hairs visible and buffy pectoral streak. Manus and pes are large and broad, with white dorsal surfaces. Tail is longer than head-body length, furred, and bicolored, blackish brown above and white below. Rostrum is broad, interorbital edges are sharp, nasals seldom reach posterior to premaxillae, large postero-palatal pits are anterior to mesopterygoid fossa, bullae usually taper evenly toward bullar tubes, and molars are large (tooth row length 5-5-6-5 mm). Chromosomal complement is 2n = 38, FN = 72 in individuals from Tacna Region (Peru).

Habitat. High Andean wetlands, Andean scrubland, dry shrubland, riverine areas, Polylepis (Rosaceae) forest, lomas, and cultivated areas from sea level up to elevations of 4000 m (typically above 2300 m).

Food and Feeding. The Master Leaf-eared Mouse is omnivorous, although it specializes on forbs in southern Peru;it is tolerant of water deprivation.

Breeding. Litters of the Master Leaf-eared Mouse average 2-3 young, with mean embryos count of 3-5.

Activity patterns. The Master Leaf-eared Mouse is terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In Peru, density of the Master Leafeared Mouse was 2-1 ind/ha in montane scrubland.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Alvarez (2016), Eisenberg & Redford (1999), Hershkovitz (1962), Pearson (1972, 1975), Pearson & Ralph (1978), Pine et al. (1979), Pizzimenti & de Salle (1980), Spotorno, Zuleta et al. (1998), Steppan & Ramirez (2015), Thomas (1912c¢), Walker et al. (1999), Zeballos et al. (2016).

Figures

725. Haggard’s Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis haggardi), 726. Andean Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis andium), 727. Peruvian Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis gerbillus), 728. Friendly Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis amicus), 729. Narrow-nasal Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis stenops), 730. Pearson’s Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis pearson), 731. Western Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis occidens), 732. Ancash Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis definitus), 733. Lima Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis limatus), 734. Master Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis magister), 735. Yellow-rumped Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis xanthopygus), 736. Osgood’s Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis osgoodi), 737. Bunch Grass Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis osilae), 738. Capricorn Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis caprinus), 739. Tucuman Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis tucumanus), 740. Walnut Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis nogalaris), 741. Darwin’s Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis darwinii), 742. Los Alisos Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis alisosiensis), 743. Anita’s Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis anitae), 744. Bonarian Leaf-eared Mouse (Phyllotis bonariensis), 745. Wolffsohn’s Leaf-eared Mouse 1 (apecomys wolffsohni), 746. Tapecua Leaf-eared Mouse (Tapecomys primus), 747. Southern Big-eared Mouse (Loxodontomys micropus), 748. Delicate Salt Flat Mouse (Salinomys delicatus), 749. Pearson’s Chaco Mouse (Andalgalomys pearsoni), 750. Olrog’s Chaco Mouse (Andalgalomys olrogi), 751. Garlepp’s Mouse (Galenomys garleppii), 752. Painted Big-eared Mouse (Auliscomys pictus), 753. Bolivian Big-eared Mouse (Auliscomys boliviensis), 754. Andean Big-eared Mouse (Auliscomys sublimis), 755. Sumichrast’s Vesper Rat (Nyctomys sumichrasti), 756. Yucatan Vesper Rat (Otonyctomys hatti), 757. Big-eared Climbing Rat (Ototylomys phyllotis), 758. La Pera Climbing Rat (Ototylomys chiapensis), 759. Peters’s Climbing Rat (Tylomys nudicaudus), 760. Chiapan Climbing Rat (Tylomys bullaris), 761. Tumbala Climbing Rat 1 (ylomys tumbalensis), 762. Watson’s Climbing Rat (Tylomys watsoni), 763. Fulvous-bellied Climbing Rat (Tylomys fulviventer), 764. Panama Climbing Rat (Tylomys panamensis), 765. Mira Climbing Rat (Tylomys mirae)

Distribution. WC Peru S to N Chile.