773.

Sulawesi Slender Root Rat

Gracilimus radix

French: Rat des rhizomes / German: Sulawesi-Schlankratte / Spanish: Rata de raices de Célebes

Other common names: Slender Rat

Taxonomy. Gracilimus radix Rowe, Achmadi & Esselstyn, 2016,

“Mount Gandan-gdewata (2-8829°S, 119-3864°E, 1,571 m), Rantepangko, Mamasa, Sulawesi Barat, Indonesia.”

Gracilimusis sister to Waiomys, which are in turn sister to Sommeromys . This Gracilimus + Waiomys + Sommeromys clade is sister to the Paucidentomys + Echiothrix and Tateomys + Melasmothrix clades. Monotypic.

Distribution. Quarles Range, WC Sulawesi.

Descriptive notes. Hent-hody 108-125 mm, tail 161-163 mm, ear 13-14 mm, hindfoot 28-30 mm; weight 34-45 g. The Sulawesi Slender Root Rat is small and slender, short and soft fur. Dorsum is dark gray-brown, flecked withpale brown; hairs have gray bases, brown middles, and pale brown tips. Venter is grayish white and extends up to dorsal part of legs; individual hairs have gray bases and creamy white tips. Some individuals have white patches of hair on ventral and dorsal pelage.Hindlimbs are longer than forelimbs, claws are short with fleshy pads at bases and are sickle-shaped, and pollex has small broad nail fused to side of hand. Feet are brown on top. Tail is slender, tapering gently to tip, c¢.113% of head-body length, and slightly darker above than below. Vibrissae are fine and long, eyes are small, and ears are small, oval, and gray brown. Skull is small and delicate, with globular braincase and short broad rostrum, similar to that of the Mamasa Water Rat ( Waiomys mamasae).

Habitat. Low tropical rainforest at an elevation of 1571 m.

Food and Feeding. The Sulawesi Slender Root Rat is omnivorous. Stomach contents of some specimens included invertebrates (e.g. cockroach was identified) and plant material, especially root tissues.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Sulawesi Slender Root Rat is terrestrial and probably nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. The Sulawesi Slender Root Rat may be threatened by habitat degradation, but more research is needed to understand its natural history and conservation status.

Bibliography. Rowe et al. (2016a, 2016b).