FIRST RECORD OF Punomys (RODENTIA: SIGMODONTINAE) IN BOLIVIA.

The article describes the presence of a known specimen of the cricetid genus Punomys, a new rodent genus, for Bolivia based on an adult female caught in 1987. The specific affinities of the specimen are currently unidentified as it shares qualitative as well as quantitative characters with Punomys kofordi and P. lemminus but also differs significantly from both species. It suggests that the levels of intraspecific variation within the known species of Punomys need to be examined critically and the unique Bolivian specimen is damaged badly enough to prevent the comparison of many taxonomically significant characters.