Oryzomys nelsoni

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	RODENTIA	CRICETIDAE

Scientific Name:

Oryzomys nelsoni

Species Authority

Merriam, 1898

Common Name/s:

English

–

Nelson's Rice Rat, Tres Marias Island Rice Rat

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Extinct ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2008

Assessor/s

Timm, R., Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T. & Lacher, T.

Evaluator/s:

McKnight, M. (Global Mammal Assessment Team) & Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority)

Justification:
This species is listed as Extinct as it has not been found in recent years despite surveys. It was only known from a few records in the marsh areas of the high central part of Maria Madre Island. It was last recorded in 1897.

History:

1996	–	Extinct (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)
1994	–	Extinct? (Groombridge 1994)
1990	–	Extinct? (IUCN 1990)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known only from the type locality in Nayarit State, México: María Madre Island (Musser and Carleton 2005).
Countries:	Regionally extinct: Mexico

Population [top]

Population:	This species is known only by the four specimens of the type series. After extensive trapping that produced only a few specimens, O. nelsoni was believed to be rare (Nelson 1899 in Alvarez-Castañeda and Mendez 2003). More recent trapping in the type locality revealed only Rattus rattus (Wilson 1991 in Alvarez-Castañeda and Mendez 2003), and this species is currently considered extinct (IUCN, 2006).

Population:

This species is known only by the four specimens of the type series. After extensive trapping that produced only a few specimens, O. nelsoni was believed to be rare (Nelson 1899 in Alvarez-Castañeda and Mendez 2003). More recent trapping in the type locality revealed only Rattus rattus (Wilson 1991 in Alvarez-Castañeda and Mendez 2003), and this species is currently considered extinct (IUCN, 2006).

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This species occurred in damp areas near springs and close to the summit of Maria Madre. This habitat has abundant herbaceous vegetation in the undergrowth (Alvarez-Castañeda and Mendez 2003). Nelson’s rice rat may have fed on seeds, fruits, weeds, and occasionally small fish and invertebrates (Alvarez-Castañeda and Mendez 2003).
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The extinction of the species may have been caused by Rattus rattus (Wilson 1991 in Alvarez-Castañeda and Mendez 2003).

Major Threat(s):

The extinction of the species may have been caused by Rattus rattus (Wilson 1991 in Alvarez-Castañeda and Mendez 2003).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	None.

Conservation Actions:

None.

Citation:	IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 15 October 2008.
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