Brazilian Colilargo – Oligoryzomys eliurus

Oligoryzomys eliurusWagner, 1845

Accepted name, Mammal Species of the World 2005

Suggested as conspecific with O. nigripes (see Myers and Carleton, 1981); also see comments under O. delticola. Diploid number (2n = 62) reported as the same as O. nigripes but with lower fundamental numbers (FN = 64-66 versus 78-82), based on specimens from Goías, C Brazil, where the two species were recorded in sympatry (Andrades-Miranda et al., 2001a). This karyotype resembles that earlier reported by Bonvicino and Weksler (1998) as O. fornesi from Goías, also there recorded in sympatry with O. nigripes. The latter authors instead attributed a high-FN karyotype from São Paulo (as reported by Yonenaga et al., 1976) to O. eliurus. Reconciliation of these apparent discrepancies is needed as are vouchered documentation of the species’ distributional limits and its clear morphological discrimination from O. nigripes.

• Wilson, D and Reeder, D. (eds.) 2005. Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. 3rd ed. -- 2142 pp. Johns Hopkins University Press.