738.

Gray Tree Rat

Lenothrix cana

French: Rat gris / German: Graue Haarbaumratte / Spanish: Rata arboricola gris Other common names: Sundaic Lenothrix

Taxonomy. Lenothrix canus [sic] G. S. Miller, 1903,

Pulau Tuangku (west of Sumatra), Indonesia.

Genus Lenothrix is feminine, so widely used subspecific name canus has been changed for gender agreement. It was sequenced by Pages and collaborators and was found close to Margaretamys in the Dacnomys division among Rattini . Monotypic.

Distribution. Malay Peninsula and nearby Penang I, Borneo, and Tuangku I (off NW Sumatra).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 140-215 mm;tail 197-290 mm, ear 18-21 mm, hindfoot 30-37 mm; weight 81-220 g. The Gray Tree Rat is medium-sized and arboreal, with long black tail covered with small hairs and extensive white tip. Fur is soft and woolly, with characteristic underfur and some longer inconspicuous hairs on flank. Dorsum is gray or grayish brown, with darkestpart on middle part of dorsum. Venter is cream white orcream buff. Sides of rostrum, hindfeet, and forefeet are white. Dark ears are small, with tiny hairs. Hindfeet are short. Foot pads are developed, with some atypical texture; thumb has nail-like claw. Two outer digits are opposable. There are five pairs of mammae: one pectoral, two post-axillary, and two inguinal.

Habitat. Lowland secondary tropical forest and primary rainforest on Malay Peninsula and lowland primary forest up to elevations of 550 m on Mount Kinabalu (Sabah), Borneo.

Food and Feeding. Based on teeth morphology, the Gray Tree Rat is likely herbivorous.

Breeding. Litters have 2-6 young (mean 3). Average lifespan in the wild is ¢.5 months.

Activity patterns. Gray Tree Rats are nocturnal and arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCNRed List (as L. canus). The Gray Tree Rat has been captured in a wide variety of habitats on Malay Peninsula and Borneo and is reportedly abundant in foothills of Selangor, Malay Peninsula. It occurs in Mount Palung National Park.

Bibliography. Harrison (1955, 1956a), Medway (1969), Muul & Lim (1971), Kloss (1931), Musser (1981a), Nor (2001), Pages et al. (2016).