216.

Mount Data Shrew Rat

Rhynchomys soricoides

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

Other common names: Cordillera Shrew Rat, Northern Luzon Rhynchomys, Northern Luzon Shrew-rat

Taxonomy. Rhynchomys soricoides Thomas, 1895,

Mount Data Plateau, Mountain Province, Luzon Island, Philippines.

Rhynchomys soricoides was revised on the occasion of new species discoveries by G. G. Musser and P. W. Freeman in 1981 and by D. S. Balete and colleagues in 2007 and 2012. A morphometric study and a molecular analysis supported its validity. Balete and coworkers in 2012, however, highlighted the probable existence of an as yet undescribed species of the genus defined molecularly in a clade including R. soricoides (sensu lato) and R. tapulao . Monotypic.

Distribution. Cordillera Central of N Luzon I, Philippines.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 178-196 mm, tail 132-162 mm, ear 23-25 mm, hindfoot 39-42 mm; weight 133-225 g. The Mount Data Shrew Rat displays the same morphological characteristicsas its congeners (slender head, long snout, small mouth with tiny incisors, small eyes, long vibrissae). The soft and dense fur is blackish brown dorsally and pale silvery gray ventrally; some individuals may display patches of pure white hairs on abdomen. Tail is longer than head-body and is unicolored, but dark dorsally. Hindfeet are long and narrow. The skull has an elongated narrow mandible, and there are only two upper and lower molars.

Habitat. Montane and mossy forest at 1600-2695 m elevation.

Food and Feeding. Mount Data Shrew Rats feed exclusively on earthworms and soil invertebrates, and seem not to eat plant material.

Breeding. Females have between one andtwo embryos (average 1-5).

Activity patterns. Mount Data Shrew Rats are active both at day and by night, and hunt within cover on pathways among vegetation.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. Various threats such as habitat disturbance and deforestation have adverse effects on Mount Data Shrew Rats.

Bibliography. Balete, Rickart, Heaney et al. (2012), Balete, Rickart, Rosell-Ambal et al. (2007), Heaney, Balete & Rickart (2016), Musser & Freeman (1981).