727.

Millet’s Long-tailed Giant Rat

Leopoldamys milleti

French: Rat de Millet / German: Millet-Langschwanz-Riesenratte / Spanish: Rata gigante de cola larga de Millet

Other common names: Millet's Leopoldamys

Taxonomy. Rattus edwardsi milletti H. C. Robinson & Kloss, 1922,

“Dalat [= Da Lat], Langbian [= Lam Vien] Plateau, S. Annam, 5000 ft. [= 1524 m],” Lam Dong Province, southern Vietnam.

Leopoldamys mallet: has been recognized as a subspecies of L. edwards: for most of its taxonomic history even though it is highly distinctive, and it has been misidentified as a new species of Berylmys . Recent phylogenetic data found it to represent a monotypic L. millet genetic group,sister to all other species of Leopoldamys . Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from the Da Lat Plateau, S Vietnam.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 210-280 mm,tail 290-360 mm, ear 29-33 mm, hindfoot 46-54 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Millet’s Long-tailed Giant Rat is large and distinctive, with sleek and soft pelage. Dorsum is dark blackish brown, being darkest along spine and paler on sides and limbs. Venter is creamy white. Feet have dark brown stripe dorsally. Ears are moderately long, dark brown, naked, and leathery; vibrissae are very long. Tail is shorter than on other species of Leopoldamys (c.133% of head-body length), dark brown above and paler brown below. Skull is large, with wider interorbital breadth than any other species of Leopoldamys and large auditory bullae. There are four pairs of mammae: one pectoral, one post-axillary, and two inguinal pairs.

Habitat. Tropical primary and secondary montane forests.

Food and Feeding. Millet’s [Long-tailed Giant Rat is omnivorous.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Millet’s Long-tailed Giant Rat is terrestrial and probably nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. More research is needed to fully understand natural history and conservation threats facing Millet’s Long-tailed Giant Rat.

Bibliography. Balakirev, Abramov & Rozhnov (2013), Francis (2008), Latinne, Chaval et al. (2013), Musser (1981a), Musser & Carleton (2005).