217.

Mount Tapulao Shrew Rat

Rhynchomys tapulao

French: Rhynchomys du Tapulao / German: Mount-Tapulao-Nasenratte / Spanish: Rata musarana de Tapulao

Other common names: Tapulao Rhynchomys, Zambales Rhynchomys, Zambales Shrew Rat

Taxonomy. Rhynchomys tapulao Balete et al., 2007,

Mt.Tapulao, Zambales Province, Luzon Island, Philippines. A recently described taxon, R. tapulao was shown to be a valid species in morphoanatomical, morphometric, and molecular analyses. Genetically, R. tapulaois in a clade that includes R. soricoides . Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from Mt Tapulao, W Luzon I, Philippines.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 164-188 mm, tail 120-128 mm, ear 24-25 mm, hindfoot 38-40 mm; weight 129-156 g. Like other representatives of its genus, this medium-sized rat has a long and slender head, a small mouth with tiny incisors, long vibrissae, and small eyes. The Mount Tapulao Shrew Rat displays a golden-brown, dense dorsal fur and a white or gray ventral

one. Tail is shorter than head-body length and is white on the terminal part, but dark brown onbasal two-thirds. As with its congeners, skull has an elongated narrow mandible and there are only two lower molars; it has three upper molars, whereas the other members of genus have only two. Females bear two pairs of inguinal mammae.

Habitat. Primary mossy forests from 2024 m elevation, where oaks ( Quercus, Fagaceae), laurels ( Lauraceae), myrtles ( Myrtus, Myrtaceae), and Podocarpus trees ( Podocarpaceae) are covered by abundant epiphytes, moss, orchids, and ferns.

Food and Feeding. Stomachs of two specimens contained fragments of earthworms, centipedes, collembolans, ground beetles ( Staphylinidae), and unidentified insect larvae.

Breeding. Two adult females each carried a single embryo.

Activity patterns. Most trappings occurred at night and nearly all were on the ground, not in trees.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Balete, Heaney et al. (2009), Balete,Rickart, Heaney et al. (2012), Balete, Rickart, Rosell-Ambal et al. (2007), Heaney, Balete & Rickart (2016).