UNUSUAL FEEDING RECORD FOR A NEOTROPICAL RODENT: A COMMON ANDEAN LYCOPHYTE

The Haggard’s leaf-eared mouse Phyllotis haggardi is a rodent endemic to Ecuador and almost nothing about its ecology has ever been recorded in detail. In this note we report for the first time, that the diet of P. haggard includes spores of Phlegmariurus crassus, a common lycophyte of the Andean Paramos. This is a remarkable record since the consumption of lycophyte spores by mammals is rare, providing new insights on the feeding behavior of P. haggardi. With this finding, we contribute to the natural history of this rodent species, and highlight the presence of lycophytes as a potential food resource for the small mammals that inhabit Andean ecosystems.