Neotoma bryanti
Bryant's Woodrat
(Neotoma bryanti) | |
---|---|
Range | |
![]() | |
Taxonomic classification | |
Order: | Rodentia |
Suborder: | Supramyomorpha |
Infraorder: | Myomorphi |
Superfamily: | Muroidea |
Family: | Cricetidae |
Subfamily: | Neotominae |
Tribe: | Neotomini |
Genus: | Neotoma |
Subgenus: | Neotoma (subgenus) |
Binomial details | |
Neotoma bryanti Merriam, 1887 |
Description
From Patton et al. (2007): "A large bodied woodrat within the Neotoma lepida group distributed along coastal California from east of San Francisco Bay south to the cape region of Baja California, including islands on both the Pacific and Gulf sides of the peninsula. Tail proportionally and absolutely long, averaging 85% of head-and-body length with 30 vertebral elements (range 29-34). Pelage relatively stiff and coarse (Grinnell and Swarth, 1913); overall color tones of body (dorsal, dorsal tail stripe, flank, and venter) dark, although considerable geographic variation exists."
From Alvarez-Castañeda & Yensen (1999) for Neotoma bryanti on Cedros Island, Baja California: "Neotoma bryanti is a large wood rat with large ears and a moderately long, bicolored tail. All hairs are plumbeous at the base.... Adult pelage is pale fulvous-brown dorsally with intermixed dark-tipped hairs. The head is grayer, and the sides of the body are pale fulvous-gray with less black. The underparts are white or off-white with a buff tint. The ventral midline, from the chest to the base of the tail, has hairs that are white to the base in contrast to the more lateral ventral hairs that are gray at the base. The feet are white, and the bicolored tail is grayish brown above and lighter below (Allen, 1898; Goldman, 1910). Young are grayish brown with more black dorsally and a narrower white ventral median band than in adults, but feet and tail are similar to adults (Allen, 1898)."
From Ceballos (ed., 2014): "Neotoma bryanti is a very large rat with large ears and a moderately long and bicolored tail. The dorsal coloration is creamy white with the underside whitish. The outer parts of the feet have conspicuous black marks resembling those of N. bryanti anthonyi and N. bryanti martinensis. The skull is similar to that of N. lepida, but is larger and angular; the frontals widen abruptly in the anterior part, between the lachrymals; the interpteriogoidal fossa is narrower and the teeth are more robust (Goldman, 1910; Merriam, 1887)."

External measurements
Length measurements are in millimeters (mm) and weight measurements are in grams (g), unless stated otherwise. If available, the sample size (n=) is provided. If a range is not provided and n= is not given, then the listed measurement represents an average.
Part of range | Reference | Total length | Tail length | Hindfoot length | Ear length | Mass |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
California (central and coastal Monterey County) | Patton et al. (2007) | 297–352 (n=10) | 141–175 (n=10) | 31–36 (n=11) | 25–32 (n=10 | |
California (central Kern County and southern Tulare County) | Patton et al. (2007) | 282–347 (n=22) | 138–166 (n=22) | 32–36.5 (n=22) | 25–35 (n=20) | |
California (eastern San Diego County) | Patton et al. (2007) | 278–362 (n=65) | 127–179 (n=65) | 28–36 (n=71) | 25–33 (n=64) | |
California (eastern San Luis Obispo County) | Patton et al. (2007) | 307–363 (n=22) | 143–174 (n=22) | 31–36 (n=25) | 31–36 (n=24) | |
California (San Benito County and inland area of Monterey County) | Patton et al. (2007) | 302–360 (n=40) | 134–170 (n=40) | 30–37 (n=44) | 26–41 (n=43) | |
California (south-central Kern County and northern Ventura County) | Patton et al. (2007) | 291–336 (n=13) | 135–162 (n=14) | 31–36 (n=15) | 25–34 (n=8) | |
California (south-central Kern County, northeast Ventura County, and northwest Los Angeles County) | Patton et al. (2007) | 305–368 (n=36) | 133–177 (n=36) | 30–35 (n=40) | 29–33 (n=40) | |
California (south-central Kern County) | Patton et al. (2007) | 313–375 (n=31) | 149–190 (n=31) | 32–36 (n=36) | 30–34 (n=36) | |
California (southern Monterey County and northern San Luis Obispo County) | Patton et al. (2007) | 295–363 (n=28) | 134–174 (n=28) | 31–36 (n=32) | 29–36 (n=27) | |
California (southwestern San Diego County) | Patton et al. (2007) | 295–366 (n=82) | 127–176 (n=82) | 30–38 (n=90) | 21–35 (n=68) | |
California (vicinity of Alameda, Stanislaus, and Santa Clara counties) | Patton et al. (2007) | 291–367 (n=45) | 128–175 (n=45) | 31–37 (n=48) | 20–32 (n=38) | |
California (western half of Riverside County, Orange County, southeast Los Angeles County, southwest San Bernardino County)
|
Patton et al. (2007) | 279–387 (n=183) | 122–185 (n=183) | 27–38 (n=195) | 26–35 (n=124) | |
not reported | Ceballos (editor, 2014) | 330–369 | 155–176 | 36–40 | 30–31 | 100–190 |
Skull
From Patton et al. (2007): "Skull with absolutely and proportionately small auditory bullae (averaging 6.7 x 7.1 mm in length and width dimensions); septum of incisive foramen comprised of small vomerine portion and elongated vacuity; and contact of lacrimal width frontal equal to or greater than contact with maxilla. Anteromedial flexus of anteroloph of M1 deeply notched in all age classes except very old individuals."
Glans penis
From Patton et al. (2007): "Glans penis relatively thin with elongate baculum and hood, the latter with straight, tapered, and bifurcated tip."
Similar species
For differentiating Neotoma bryanti from other members of the Neotoma lepida group, see Key to the species in the desert woodrat group by Patton et al. (2007).
References
Allen JA. 1898. Descriptions of new mammals from western Mexico and Lower California. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 10:143-158.
Alvarez-Castañeda ST, Yensen E., 1999. Neotoma bryanti. Mammalian species (619): 1-3.
Ceballos G, editor. 2014. Mammals of Mexico. Baltimore (MD, USA): Johns Hopkins University Press.
Goldman EA. 1910. Revision of the wood rats of the genus Neotoma. North American Fauna, 31:1-124.
Grinnell J, Swarth HS. 1913. An account of the birds and mammals of the San Jacinto area of southern California. University of California Publications in Zoology 10: 197-406.
Merriam CH. 1887. Description of a New Species of Wood-Rat from Cerros Island, Off Lower California. American Naturalist 21: 191.
Patton JL, Huckaby DG, Álvarez-Castañeda ST. 2007. The evolutionary history and a systematic revision of woodrats of the Neotoma lepida group (Vol. 135). Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.