Bunomys andrewsi (J. A. Allen, 1911)Sundamys muelleri (Jentink, 1879)

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Muridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 536-884 : 866-867

762.

Andrews’s Hill Rat

Bunomys andrewsi

French: Bunomys dAndrews / German: Andrews-Sulawesi-Bergratte / Spanish: Rata de colina de Andrews Other common names: Andrews's Bunomys

Habitat. Likely primary forested habitats at elevations of 900-1350 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Taxonomy. Mus andrewsi J. A. Allen, 1911,

Activity patterns. Bartels’s Rat is probably nocturnal and terrestrial.

Buton Island, north-eastern Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. Bartels’s Rat is known only from the type series collected in 1932-1935. It is probably highly threatened by human activities in its type locality in Java where nearly no forest habitat remains.

Bunomys andrewsi is in the B. fratrorum species group within Bunomys and is sister to B. penitus . It includes heinrichi, which might be a distinct species. Monotypic.

Bibliography. Camacho-Sanchez et al. (2017), Chasen (1940), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser & Newcomb (1983), Musser & Ruedas (2008j), Sody (1931).

Distribution. C & S Sulawesi and nearby Buton I.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 137-195 mm, tail 110-167 mm, ear 22-30 mm, hindfoot 35-44 mm; weight 95-222 g. Andrews’s Hill Rat is a medium-sized species of broad-headed and stocky Bunomys . Pelage is soft and moderately long, with shortish dark guard hairs. Dorsum is rich dark brown or brownish gray, speckled with buff and black with gray underfur. Hairs are tipped with buff, and underfur hairs are tipped with pale buff. Rhinarium and lips are unpigmented. Venter is primarily grayish white, generally fading from dorsal pelage, although demarcation can be conspicuous. Feet are long and slender, with white digits and white or whitespeckled with brown or brownish orange. Juveniles have shorter, finer, and darker pelage, lacking buff and with grayish white underparts. Ears are covered in short unpigmented hair, rubbery, and colored with gray or brown hues. Tail is 75-92% of head-body length, grayish brown dorsally, and white to unicolored brown and brownish gray ventrally; some individuals have white tip on tail. Skull is large, with long and narrow rostrum and wide zygomatic plate. Sucking lice (Hoploplura), ticks (Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis), mites (Laelaps), pseudoscorpions (Chiridiochernes), trematodes (Bunomystrongylus), and nematodes (Platynosomoides) have been recorded from Andrews’s Hill Rat. There are two pairs of inguinal mammae. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 42, FN = 58.

761.

Muller's Rat

Sundamys muelleri

French: Sundamys de Miller / German: Miille-Sunda-Riesenratte / Spanish: Rata de Sonda de Miller

Other common names: Miller's Giant Sunda Rat, Muller's Sundamys

Taxonomy. Mus mülleri:Jentink, 1880 ,

“Sumatra, Batang Singgalang.”

Sister species to S. maxi based on a recent phylogenetic analysis. Polytypic, but number, diagnoses, and ranges of subspecies require review.

Distribution. SW peninsular Myanmar, peninsular Thailand, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Palawan I, and many offshore Is.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 185-

299 mm, tail 212-370 mm, ear 20-27 mm, hindfoot 37-55 mm; weight 196-292 g. Muiller’s Rat is a medium sized and variable species of Sundamys , being twice as large as Annandale’s Sundaic Rat (S. annandaler) but smaller than the other two species in the genus. Pelage is harsh and slightly shaggy with long black guard hairs. Dorsal pelageis grayish brown to dark tawny brown, being darkest along the midline of the back and lighter on the sides. Ventral pelage varies from white or grayish white to dark gray or a pale yellowish, occasionally with a buff tinge; ventral pelage is not sharply demarcated from the dorsal pelage. Ears are long, rounded, and dark brown; vibrissae extend beyond the ears. Feet are long and broade, being furred dorsally and a similar color to the dorsal pelage. Tail is long (110-120% of head-body length), lightly furred, and uniformly dark brown. Zygomatic plate of zygomatic arch is placed anterior to M'. Compared with skull length, molars are small in Muller’s Rat. Cusp pattern of Bartels’s Rat ( S. maxi ) is similar to that of Miiller’s Rat. Reduced tympanic bullae do not overlap squamosal root of zygomatic arch along antero-posterior axis. Spheno-pterygoid vacuity is closed with bony wall. Sphenoid and vomer bridge is always present and very visible between mesopterygoid fossa. Most populations of Muller’s Rat have five roots under M!, four roots under M? and three roots under M?, but some specimens had three to four roots on M’. On lower molars, there are four roots under m and three roots under m, and m,. Cusp t3 on M* and M’ is present and well-developed i in most specimens of Miller’S Rat. There are four pairs of mammae: one pectoral, one postaxillary, and two inguinal.

Habitat. Lowland primary and tall secondary forest, urban areas, mangrove forests, and evergreen forests from sea level up to elevations of 1650 m.

Food and Feeding. Miller’s Rat eats fruits, leaves, shoots, insects, and other vegetable matter. In Malaysia, some mollusks are eaten as well. Rare food items include crabs, land snails, or a caecilian (limbless amphibian).

Breeding. Female Miiller’s Rats give birth in nests built in sheltered areas. In Malaysia, pregnant females were collected year-round but especially in July-September. Litters have 1-9 young (mean 3-8). They live about 5-6 months on average in the wild, although they can live over two years in captivity.

Activity patterns. Miiller’s Rat is nocturnal and terrestrial, or scansorial. It nests in lowland habitat and is also adapted to urban areas, with good climbing and swimming capacities. During the day, it is encountered under logs and tree roots or in dens or holes in the ground. It usually becomes active in late afternoon, but it can be seen rarely during the day.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Miller's Rat generally maintains a permanent den along a stream with an elongated territory down the stream. Territories have been recorded down a stream at lengths from 76-184 m long. Average lifetime range is 409 m.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Muller's Rat seems to be abundant in wide variety of habitats. Given its wide distribution in the Sundaland, it might include several crypticspecies on smaller island archipelagos.

Bibliography. Aplin (2016y), Camacho-Sanchez et al. (2017), Lim (1966, 1970), Medway (1969, 1978), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser & Newcomb (1983), Nor (2001), Phillipps & Phillipps (2016), Sanborn (1952a).

Habitat. Primarily lowland tropical evergreen rainforest, lower montane rainforest, and secondary forest and scrubby areas close to undisturbed forest at elevations up to 1400 m.

Food and Feeding. Andrews’s Hill Rat is a voracious omnivore that has similar feeding habits as the Common Hill Rat ( B. chrysocomus ). It is mainly carnivorous, feeding on earthworms (held in hands after being aggressively captured with incisors and bitten into segments that are swallowed whole), snails (grabbed similarly to earthworms

but turned multiple times in hands and then parts of shell are bitten off and flesh is eaten), arthropods (head is bitten and they are eaten head down, excluding wings and limbs; insects included adult and larval beetles, macrolepidopteran larvae, moths, crickets, grasshoppers, praying mantids, rhinotermitid termites, and geophilomorph centipedes), and gekkos (pounce on, bit in the head, chest, and abdomen and eaten from head to tail completely). Fruits is eaten less regularly than animal food and include those offig trees ( Ficus , Moraceae ), understory palms ( Pinanga , Arecaceae ), Sandoricum (Meliaceae) , Sapium (Euphorbiaceae) , Palaquium obtusifolium ( Sapotaceae ), Hydnocarpus sumatrana ( Achariaceae ), Gnetum cuspidatum ( Gnetaceae ), and Pandanus (Pandanaceae) .

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Andrews’s Hill Rat is nocturnal and terrestrial. It nests in underground burrows with entrances concealed by leaves or rocks and probably with sleeping chamberfull of leaves.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Andrews’s Hill Rat is an aggressive rodent.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Andrews’s Hill Rat has a wide distribution and is considered relatively common throughout some parts ofits distribution; it occurs in Lore Lindu National Park. It is probably threatened by lowland deforestation from logging and agricultural expansion.

Bibliography. Cassola (2016ae), Durden (1991), Hasegawa & Mangali (1996), Musser (1991, 2014), Musser & Carleton (2005).

761.

Muller's Rat

Sundamys muelleri

French: Sundamys de Miller / German: Miille-Sunda-Riesenratte / Spanish: Rata de Sonda de Miller

Other common names: Miller's Giant Sunda Rat, Muller's Sundamys

Taxonomy. Mus mülleri:Jentink, 1880 ,

“Sumatra, Batang Singgalang.”

Sister species to S. maxi based on a recent phylogenetic analysis. Polytypic, but number, diagnoses, and ranges of subspecies require review.

Distribution. SW peninsular Myanmar, peninsular Thailand, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Palawan I, and many offshore Is.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 185-

299 mm, tail 212-370 mm, ear 20-27 mm, hindfoot 37-55 mm; weight 196-292 g. Muiller’s Rat is a medium sized and variable species of Sundamys , being twice as large as Annandale’s Sundaic Rat (S. annandaler) but smaller than the other two species in the genus. Pelage is harsh and slightly shaggy with long black guard hairs. Dorsal pelageis grayish brown to dark tawny brown, being darkest along the midline of the back and lighter on the sides. Ventral pelage varies from white or grayish white to dark gray or a pale yellowish, occasionally with a buff tinge; ventral pelage is not sharply demarcated from the dorsal pelage. Ears are long, rounded, and dark brown; vibrissae extend beyond the ears. Feet are long and broade, being furred dorsally and a similar color to the dorsal pelage. Tail is long (110-120% of head-body length), lightly furred, and uniformly dark brown. Zygomatic plate of zygomatic arch is placed anterior to M'. Compared with skull length, molars are small in Muller’s Rat. Cusp pattern of Bartels’s Rat ( S. maxi ) is similar to that of Miiller’s Rat. Reduced tympanic bullae do not overlap squamosal root of zygomatic arch along antero-posterior axis. Spheno-pterygoid vacuity is closed with bony wall. Sphenoid and vomer bridge is always present and very visible between mesopterygoid fossa. Most populations of Muller’s Rat have five roots under M!, four roots under M? and three roots under M?, but some specimens had three to four roots on M’. On lower molars, there are four roots under m and three roots under m, and m,. Cusp t3 on M* and M’ is present and well-developed i in most specimens of Miller’S Rat. There are four pairs of mammae: one pectoral, one postaxillary, and two inguinal.

Habitat. Lowland primary and tall secondary forest, urban areas, mangrove forests, and evergreen forests from sea level up to elevations of 1650 m.

Food and Feeding. Miller’s Rat eats fruits, leaves, shoots, insects, and other vegetable matter. In Malaysia, some mollusks are eaten as well. Rare food items include crabs, land snails, or a caecilian (limbless amphibian).

Breeding. Female Miiller’s Rats give birth in nests built in sheltered areas. In Malaysia, pregnant females were collected year-round but especially in July-September. Litters have 1-9 young (mean 3-8). They live about 5-6 months on average in the wild, although they can live over two years in captivity.

Activity patterns. Miiller’s Rat is nocturnal and terrestrial, or scansorial. It nests in lowland habitat and is also adapted to urban areas, with good climbing and swimming capacities. During the day, it is encountered under logs and tree roots or in dens or holes in the ground. It usually becomes active in late afternoon, but it can be seen rarely during the day.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Miller's Rat generally maintains a permanent den along a stream with an elongated territory down the stream. Territories have been recorded down a stream at lengths from 76-184 m long. Average lifetime range is 409 m.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Muller's Rat seems to be abundant in wide variety of habitats. Given its wide distribution in the Sundaland, it might include several crypticspecies on smaller island archipelagos.

Bibliography. Aplin (2016y), Camacho-Sanchez et al. (2017), Lim (1966, 1970), Medway (1969, 1978), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser & Newcomb (1983), Nor (2001), Phillipps & Phillipps (2016), Sanborn (1952a).