Description
Transandinomys talamancae is a medium-sized, brightly colored rice rat. It is similar to T. bolivaris and the two are often confused. They are about as large, but in T. talamancae the tail is longer and the hindfeet shorter. Both species share uniquely long vibrissae, with both the mystacial (above the mouth) and superciliary vibrissae extending to or beyond the back margin of the ears when laid back against the head, but those in T. bolivaris are substantially longer. H. alfaroi, a widespread species ranging from Mexico to Ecuador, is also similar. It is smaller and darker, but young adult T. talamancae are similar in color to adult H. alfaroi and often misidentified. Hylaeamys megacephalus, with which T. talamancae was synonymized for some decades, is similar in body size, but is not known to overlap with T. talamancae in range.
The fur is short, dense and soft in Transandinomys talamancae; in T. bolivaris, it is longer and even more soft and dense. The color of the upperparts varies from reddish to brownish, becoming lighter towards the sides and the cheeks. The underparts are white to buff, with the bases of the hairs plumbeous (lead-colored). The fur of T. bolivaris is darker: dark brown above and dark gray below. H. megacephalus also has darker fur. Juveniles have thin, gray fur, which is molted into the dark brown subadult fur when the animal is about 35 to 40 days old. This fur is replaced by the bright adult fur at age 49 to 56 days. Juveniles are never blackish as in T. bolivaris. The ears are dark brown, large, and densely covered with very small hairs.
| Country | n | Head and body | Tail | Hindfoot | Ear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panama | 22 | 124.4 (101–136) | 124.7 (110–143) | 29.2 (27–32) | 21.1 (16–25) |
| Colombia | 13 | 135.2 (120–151) | 125.2 (114–140) | 29.5 (27–32) | 19.0 (18–22) |
| Ecuador | 20 | 124 (118–136) | 128.5 (118–137) | 29.1 (28–31) | – |
The sparsely haired tail is about as long as the head and body. It is dark brown above and lighter below. In contrast, the tail of H. megacephalus has little to no difference in color between the upper and lower surface. In 2006, Weksler and colleagues noted tail coloration as a difference between the two species of Transandinomys (bicolored in T. talamancae and unicolored in T. bolivaris), but in their 1998 study, Musser and colleagues could not find differences in tail coloration between their Panamanian samples of the two species.
The hindfeet are long and have the three central digits longer than the two outer ones. They are white to pale yellow above, where the foot is covered with hairs, which are longer than in T. bolivaris. The digits of the hindfeet are surrounded by ungual tufts of silvery hair that are longer than the claws themselves. The claws are short and sharp. Parts of the sole are covered by indistinct scales (squamae), which are usually entirely absent in T. bolivaris. The pads are moderately large.
The length of the head and body is 105 to 151 mm (4.1 to 5.9 in), tail length 105 to 152 mm (4.1 to 6.0 in), hindfoot length 26 to 32 mm (1.0 to 1.3 in), ear length 17 to 24 mm (0.67 to 0.94 in), and body mass 38 to 74 g (1.3 to 2.6 oz). As in most oryzomyines, females have eight mammae. There are 12 thoracic vertebra with associated ribs, 7 lumbars, and 29 caudals; a pair of supernumerary (additional) ribs is occasionally present.
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