285.

Gressitt’s Mosaic-tailed Rat

Paramelomys gressitti

French: Mélomys de Gressitt / German: Gressitt-Mosaikschwanzratte / Spanish: Rata de cola moteada de Gressitt

Other common names: Gressit's Paramelomys

Taxonomy. Paramelomys gressitti Menzies, 1996,

near summit of Mount Kaindi, 2300 m, Wau region, Morobe province, Papua New Guinea.

The first comprehensive revision of all the species attributed to Melomys led J. I. Menzies in 1996 to resurrect the genus Paramelomys and to redefine its morphologicallimits and species content. Menzies created P. gressitti as a new species belonging to a group displaying morphological similarities and including also P. lorentzii and P. moncktoni. Monotypic Distribution. E New Guinea. Descriptive notes. Head-body 135-162 mm, hindfoot 30-34 mm; no specific data are available for body weight. Gressitt’s Mosaic-tailed Rat is a medium-sized Paramelomyswith a soft, thick and woolly pelage, a long narrow foot, and a tail with three hairs per scale. It exhibits a medium-sepia dorsal pelage and a gray-buff ventral one. Tail is slightly shorter (99%) than head-body length. The skull has a narrow zygomatic plate. Habitat. Moist tropical mountain forest between 2300 m and 2400 m. Food and Feeding. No information. Breeding. No information. Activity patterns. Gressitt’s Mosaic-tailed Rat is terrestrial. Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information. Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List owing to its small geographic range (less than 3500 km?*) and the destruction ofits habitat by mining and logging activities. The majorthreat to Gressitt’s Mosaic-tailed Rat is ongoing habitat degradation caused by nearby human populations; habitat on Mount Kandy has been destroyed by gold-miners and wood-cutters. Bibliography. Menzies (1996).