Mount Pirri isthmus rat explained

The Mount Pirri isthmus rat (Isthmomys pirrensis) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is found only in Panama. At the time of its discovery, it was considered as the “most common rat of southeastern Panama”.^[1] Found only in the eastern region of Darien, I. pirrensis appears to be a relict species confined to the Panamanian side of the Serrania del Darien.^[2] Its occurrence on the Colombian side of the Serrania has been suggested without documentation of specimens.^[3]

Although neotomine-peromyscine rodents have historically been the subject of systematic research, studies involving Isthmomys have generally excluded I. flavidus due to its rarity in museum collections and the unavailability of tissue samples for molecular analysis.^[4] In addition, morphological and physiological studies involving I. flavidus ^[5] used specimens from the Cerro Hoya locality which was originally proposed as a geographic race of I. pirrensis.^[6]

References

• Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

Notes and References

1. (Anthony 1916).
2. (Hershkovitz 1966).
3. (Alberico et al. 2000; Cuartas-Calle and Muñoz-Arango 2003; Hall and Kelson 1958; Hershkovitz 1966).
4. (Bradley et al. 2007; Bradley et al. 2004; Carleton 1973; Engel et al. 1998; Hill 1975; Stangl and Baker 1984).
5. (Carleton 1973, 1980; Hill 1975; Hooper and Musser 1964; Linzey and Layne 1974; Linzey and Layne 1969; Voss and Linzey 1981)
6. (Handley 1966).