295.

Bruyn’s Brush Mouse

Pogonomelomys bruni

French: Pogonomys de Bruijn / German: Vogelkop-Mosaikschwanzratte / Spanish: Raton de cepillo de Brujin

Other common names: Bruijn’s Pogonomelomys, Large Pogonomelomys, Lowland Brush Mouse Bruijn’s

Taxonomy. Uromys bruni Peters & Doria, 1876,

off W coast of Vogelkop, Pulau Salawatti, Province of Papua, West Papua (= Irian Jaya), western New Guinea.

The exact relationships of Pogonomelomys within Hydromyini are uncertain, and further genetic studies are needed. P. bruijnii previously included P. brassi as a subspecies, but latter is now recognized as a distinct species, although a formal revision is needed within the genus, as more species may be valid. Bird's Head (= Vogelkop) Peninsula population probably represents a distinct species. Monotypic.

Distribution. Salawati I and Bird’s Head Peninsula of NW New Guinea. Fossils indicate that Bruijn’s Brush Mouse was once found throughout most of the Papua Province, Indonesia.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 180 mm, tail 190 mm, hindfoot 34 mm (holotype). No specific data are available for body weight. Bruijn’s Brush Mouse is a large Pogonomelomys with pelage shorter and stiffer than that of Shaw Mayer’s Brush Mouse (FP. mayeri). Dorsal pelage is brownish red, being lighter on the sides; ventral pelage is pure white. Feet are very broad and ofa reddish hue. Ears are reddish. Tail is long (105% of headbody length), reddish brown throughout, with a scaleless and dorsally prehensile tip. Skull is broad. There are two pairs of mammae, both inguinal.

Habitat. Lowland tropical moist forests at elevations from sea level to a few hundred meters at most.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Little is known, but a juvenile was captured in March.

Activity patterns. Bruijn’s Brush Mouse is probably arboreal, nesting in tree hollows.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. Bruijn’s Brush Mouse has a relatively small but scattered distribution and is considered generally uncommon. It is known only from the holotype on Salawati and three specimens collected on the Bird’s Head Peninsula. Major threats to the species include habitat loss and degradation from logging throughoutits limited distribution. Virtually nothing is known of this species, and further research is needed in order to understand fully its natural history and evolution, and any potential threats facing it.

Bibliography. Breed & Aplin (1995), Flannery (1995a, 1995b), Helgen et al. (2008a), Menzies (1990), Musser & Carleton (2005), Steppan & Schenk (2017).