Aplodontid Rodents of the Genus Pelycomys Galbreath from the Orellan (Middle Oligocene) of Nebraska

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Abstract
The aplodontid, Pelycomys cf. P. placidus Galbreath, a new species of Pelycomys, and possibly a third species of this genus, are recognized from the Orellan of Nebraska. The upper dentition of Pelycomys is also decribed. The new species are morphologically distinct from previously known Orellan species from Colorado and Wyoming and represent a distinct lineage. The presence of these new species in the Great Plains indicates that aplodontids were more diverse than previously known, and that species may be geographically restricted during the middle Oligocene as has been previously shown for other families of Orellan rodents. The late Eocene rodent Spurimus is suggested as a possible direct ancestor of Pelycomys independent of Prosciurus.

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