"The genus Microryzomys contains certain small-bodied, long-tailed oryzomyine rodents that are endemic to the northern and central Andes, their distribution describing an arc from northern Venezuela, through Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, to central Bolivia. Based on the examination of over 900 museum specimens representing 105 principal collecting localities, two species, without subspecific divisions, are recognized: M. minutus (dryas Thomas, d. humilior Thomas, fulvirostris Allen, and aurillus Thomas in synonomy) and M. altissimus (a. hylaeus Hershkovitz and a. chotanus Hershkovitz in synonomy). Microryzomys minutus can be distinguished from its congener altissimus by a combination of size and proportional differences, which were underscored in principal component analysis of 16 craniodental and 3 external variables using representative population samples of each species. These results, together with 14 locality records of sympatry (or parapatry) in the mountains of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, support an interpretation of only two biological species. Populations of Microryzomys altissimus are more restricted geographically, altitudinally, and perhaps ecologically than are those of M. minutus. The geographic limits of M. minutus define the distributional boundaries of the genus, whereas, M. altissimus occurs only in the Cordillera Central of Colombia, throughout the Andes of Ecuador, to the highlands of central Peru. Locality records document that M. altissimus occupies a higher altitudinal zone (mostly from 2500 to 4000 m) compared to M. minutus (mostly from 1500 to 3500 m); most instances of sympatry occur within the 2500 to 3500 m interval. Information gleaned from specimen tags and fieldnotes suggests that the two species inhabit different morphoclimatic vegetation zones consistent with the altitudinal belts they occupy. Microryzomys minutus dwells in a variety of wet, cool Andean forests ranging from lower and upper montane rain forest to subalpine rain forest; at its upper altitudinal limits, it may frequent various habitats found at the ecotone between upper Andean forests and páramo. Microryzomys altissimus is more regularly associated with páramo environments, the forest-páramo ecotone, and subalpine rain forest. Both species range on either side of the Huancabamba Depression in northern Peru without evidence of appreciable differentiation. Neither species penetrates the Altiplano biome in southern Peru and Bolivia; the southernmost distribution of M. minutus adheres to wet forest along Amazon-facing slopes east of the Altiplano. Examination of external, cranial, dental and gastric morphology revealed a suite of qualitative traits, apparently unrelated to overall size, by which species of Microryzomys can be distinguished from those of Oligoryzomys and from Oryzomys palustris, the type species of Oryzomys. The concordance of these discrete character states contradicts the notion that Microryzomys and Oligoryzomys are artificial constructs used to segregate the smaller species within a speciose genus highly varied in body size. Instead, such character associations support the monophyly of species assigned to Microryzomys and to Oligoryzomys relative to other groups of oryzomyine rodents. Emended diagnoses, framed at the generic level, are provided for these two taxa. Evaluation of 20 qualitative characters reveals that Oryzomys palustris is highly differentiated from both Microryzomys and Oligoryzomys, which share many traits thought to be plesiomorphic. Certain derived character states suggest that Microryzomys and Oligoryzomys are sister taxa, but the evidence for a close relationship is weak, and this possibility must await further corroboration and the study of a broader array of oryzomyines"--P. 3.

This study focuses on the Atlantic Forest tree rats of the genus Phyllomys (Rodentia: Echimyidae), one of the most poorly understood mammal genera inhabiting the coastal rain forests Brazil, the most threatened lowland tropical forest in the world. The author summarizes their distribution, ecology and evolution, using a combination of morphological and molecular analyses, describes two new species, and provides the first systematic revision of the genus, which was originally described in 1839.

In this study I provide a phylogenetic hypothesis for the tribe Oryzomyini that can be used to understand the diversification and evolution of this group of rodents and to revise the current generic-level classification. Morphological and molecular data were used for these purposes in combined and separate analyses. Molecular data consisted of partial sequences (1266 bp) from the first exon of the nuclear gene encoding the interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein (IRBP); the morphological matrix comprised 99 characters, including 16 integumental characters, 32 skull characters, 29 dental characters, 7 postcranial characters, and 10 characters from the phallus and soft-anatomy systems. I present anatomical descriptions for each character, including delineation of different states observed among oryzomyines. Results of the combined analysis were congruent with the IRBP-only dataset for oryzomyine higher-level relationships. Morphological analyses, although showing discrepancies from the combined or IRBP consensus cladograms and with low nodal support values, recovered several clades similar to the combined and IRBP analyses. Systematics of the tribe and the evolution of a few pivotal characters are discussed in light of the proposed phylogeny. Different taxonomic arrangements for species currently included in the genus Oryzomys are suggested. Finally, I evaluate evolutionary and biogeographic hypotheses that are compatible with our current knowledge on oryzomyine relationships.

The vast terrain between Panama and Tierra del Fuego contains some of the worlds richest mammalian fauna, but until now it has lacked a comprehensive systematic reference to the identification, distribution, and taxonomy of its mammals. The first such book of its kind, Mammals of South America both summarizes existing information and encourages further research of the mammals indigenous to the region. It includes identification keys and brief descriptions of each order, family, and genus. Species accounts include taxonomic descriptions, synonymies, keys to identification, distributions with maps and a gazetteer of marginal localities, lists of recognized subspecies, brief summaries of natural history information, and discussions of issues related to taxonomic interpretations.

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve has captured the worldwide attention of biologists, conservationists, and ecologists and has been the setting for extensive investigation over the past 30 years. Roughly 40,000 ecotourists visit the Cloud Forest each year, and it is often considered the archetypal high-altitude rain forest. This volume brings together some of the most prominent researchers of the region to provide a broad introduction to the biology of the Monteverde, and cloud forests in general. Collecting and synthesizing vital information about the ecosystem and its biota, the book also examines the positive and negative effects of human activity on both the forest and the surrounding communities. Ecologists, tropical biologists, and natural historians will find this volume an indispensable resource, as will all those who are fascinated by the magnificent wonders of the tropical forests.

Oliver P. Pearson’s studies on mammalian biology remain standard reading for ecologists, physiologists, taxonomists, and biogeographers. Reflecting this, the papers gathered here continue to expand our understanding of the ecology and evolution of subterranean mammals, and of ecology, taxonomy, and biogeography of Neotropical mammals, a group that was central to the latter half of Pearson’s career.