166.

Mount Banahaw Tree Mouse

Musseromys gulantang

French: Rat du Banahaw / German: Mount-Banahaw-Bergwaldmaus / Spanish: Raton arboricola de Banahaw

Taxonomy. Musseromys gulantang Heaney et al., 2009,

south side of Mount Banahaw, Quezon Province, Luzon Island, Philippines.

In recent phylogenetic studies, Musseromys was found to be a sister taxon to Carpomys . Various molecular and morphometric studies of the whole genus by L. R. Heaney, D. S. Balete and coworkers in 2014 and 2015 found important genetic differences among the four taxa and produced a cytochrome-b phylogeny;this species is basal to the Musseromys clade. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from Mt Banahaw, Luzon I, Philippines.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 77 mm, tail 101 mm, ear 16 mm, hindfoot 20 mm; weight 15-5 g. The single individual trapped is small and it displays the same morphological characteristics than the other representatives of the genus. Pelage is long, dense and rough with dark brown, sometimes rusty red, dorsal and ventral fur. Tail is longer than head-body length and presents a pencil of long hairs at the tip. Feet are elongated, and hindfeet have large plantar pads that are more spread out than its relatives. Forefeet have a very short pollex with a small, convex nail in contrast to the long curved claws of the other digits. Ears are long, dark and rounded,although they are more bluntly pointed than in other species ofthe genus. Face is also thinner with relatively long vibrissae. Skull is smaller than in other Musseromys, with a deeper and shorter rostrum and nasal. The anterior ofthe incisors are a medium orange rather than a paleorange.

Habitat. Found in secondary lowland forest at 620 m, being the only currently known species of Musseromys to colonize lowland habitats.

Food and Feeding. The broad-headed Mount Banahaw Tree Mouse has a heavy jaw musculature that may be used to eat hard seeds.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Mount Banahaw Tree Mouse is probably nocturnal and arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. This species is only known from a single individual. Distribution is entirely within the San Cristobal National Park. Further research is needed toassess the threats, distribution, and ecology of this species.

Bibliography. Balete et al. (2015), Heaney, Balete & Rickart (2016), Heaney, Balete, Rickart, Veluz & Jansa (2009, 2014).