Platacanthomys lasiurus, Blyth, 1859

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Platacanthomyidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 102-107 : 106

1.

Malabar Spiny Tree Mouse

Platacanthomys lasiurus

French: Loirépineux de Malabar / German: Stdindien-Stachelbilch / Spanish: Raton arboricola de Malabar

Other common names: Malabar Spiny Dormouse, Malabar Spiny Mouse

Taxonomy. Platacanthomys lasiurus Blyth, 1859 ,

Alipi (= Allepey ), Malabar (= Kerala State), India.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to the Western Ghats of S India, from 14° to 8° N latitude in Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 118-140 mm, tail 76-106 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Malabar Spiny Tree Mouse is the largest platacanthomyid, but a small rodent with large, mostly naked ears and distinctive, white-tipped, flattened spines interspersed throughout dorsal pelage. Dorsum is light brown, with lighter venter; whiskers are long; long tail is lightly furred near base but densely furred at tip (resembling a bottle brush); and hair at tip oftail is white in some individuals (including juveniles).

Habitat. Tropical evergreen forests and deciduous riparian forests at elevations of 600-900 m in the Western Ghats.

Food and Feeding. The Malabar Spiny Tree Mouseis granivorous and frugivorous. It is known to feed on fruits and seeds from more than 25 different plant species, including crops like black pepper and cacao.

Breeding. The Malabar Spiny Tree Mouse might have two distinct breeding seasons.

Activity patterns. Malabar Spiny Tree Mice are nocturnal and nest in leaf-lined tree cavities and rock crevices during the day, emerging to forage in the canopy after dusk.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Home ranges of Malabar Spiny Tree Mice are c.5 ha and sometimes overlap. Mating system is possibly polygynous. Multiple adult females and their offspring will live with a single adult male in a nest, and males sometimeslive alone. Individuals sometimes forage in mixed groups.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List in 2008. The Malabar Spiny Tree Mouse is considered a pest by some farmers and is sometimes killed. It will occasionally forage in cropland, but it tends to avoid secondary forest. Less than 2000 km? of suitable evergreen forest remains in the Western Ghats. If habitat destruction continues and protected areas are threatened, conservation status of this endemic Indian species will likely be downgraded. It has never been included in a molecular genetic analysis, so any genetically distinct populations (or potential undescribed, morphologically similar species) are unknown.

Bibliography. Carleton & Musser (1984), Chetana & Ganesh (2013), Corbet & Hill (1992), Ganesh & Devy (2006), Gopakumar & Motwani (2013), Jayahari & Jayson (2007), Jayson (2006), Jayson & Jayahari (2009), Molur & Nameer (2008a), Molur & Singh (2009), Molur et al. (2005), Mudappa et al. (2010), Musser & Carleton (2005).

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Distribution. Endemic to the Western Ghats of S India, from 14° to 8° N latitude in Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.