Nephelomys devius

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}

{{Short description|Species of rodent}}

{{speciesbox

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Samudio, R. |date=2016 |title=Nephelomys devius |volume=2016 |page=e.T15593A22332217 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T15593A22332217.en |access-date=16 November 2021}}

| image = Nephelomys devius 186304475.jpg

| image_alt =

| image_caption =

| genus = Nephelomys

| species = devius

| authority = (Bangs, 1902)

| synonyms = Oryzomys devius Bangs, 1902

[Nephelomys] devius Weksler, Percequillo, and Voss, 2006

}}

File:Nephelomys devius skull Bangs.png, a young adult female from Boquete, Panama.Bangs, 1902, p. 34]]

Nephelomys devius, also known as the Talamancan oryzomys,Musser and Carleton, 2005 Boquete rice rat,Reid and Samudio, 2008; Goldman, 1920, p. 99 Chiriqui rice rat,Goldman, 1918, p. 80 or montane rice rat,Duff and Lawson, 2004 is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae.Weksler et al., 2006, p. 18 It is found in cloud forest in the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama.

The upperparts are light brown and become lighter towards the sides. The underparts are buffy or dull white, with a whitish area at the throat. The ears are blackish, as is the nose, and the feet are yellow to brown. The tail is dark brown above and somewhat lighter below. In juveniles, the fur of the upperparts is darker. In three specimens, the total length ranges from {{convert|335|to|360|mm|in|2}}, the combined length of the tail vertebrae from {{convert|180|to|195|mm|in|2}}, the hindfoot length from {{convert|33|to|36|mm|in|2}}, and the skull length from {{convert|35.8|to|37.5|mm|in|3}}.Goldman, 1918, p. 81

N. devius is the westernmost representative of its genus, with a related species, N. pirrensis, known from eastern Panama. In contrast to that species, the chest region is marked by a white patch, as in various other Nephelomys species. The skull is more rounded, the auditory bullae are larger,Goldman, 1920, p. 99 and the fur is somewhat paler. Unlike Transandinomys talamancae, possibly the closest relative of the genus Nephelomys, N. devius apparently lacks preputial glands.Weksler et al., 2006, p. 21

It was originally described, in 1902, as a species of Oryzomys, Oryzomys devius, and considered to be related to O. meridensis.Bangs, 1902, p. 34 In 1966, it was subsumed into Oryzomys albigularis, as were all other species of this group, but subsequently it was reinstated as a species. In 2006, members of the O. albigularis group were transferred into a new genus, Nephelomys; since then, the species has been known as Nephelomys devius.