674.

Osgood’s Vietnamese Rat

Rattus osgoodi

French: Rat d'Osgood / German: Osgood-Ratte / Spanish: Rata de Vietnam de Osgood

Other common names: Osgood'’s Rat

Taxonomy. Rattus osgoodi Musser & Newcomb, 1985,

“Langbian Peak, probably 5000 ft [= 1524 m],”

Lam Dong Province, southern Vietnam.

Rattus osgoodi is phylogenetically and morphologically closely related to R. losea, although more modern genetic studies are needed. Monotypic.

Distribution. LLangbian Plateau, S Vietnam.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 124- 171 mm, tail 147-161 mm, ear 17-20 mm, hindfoot 31-34 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Osgood’s Vietnamese Rat is medium-sized and similar to the Losea Rat ( R. losea). Pelage is dense, thick, soft, and silky. Dorsum is dark brown and lighter and buffier on sides. Venteris dark grayish brown, washed with buff, and dark gray under chin and in inguinal region. Juvenile dorsal pelage is dark brown.Feet are dark brown dorsally. Ears are dark brown; vibrissae are long. Tail is ¢.85% of head-body length and dark brown. Skull is smaller than that of the Losea Rat. There are five pairs of mammae: two axillary and three inguinal.

Habitat. Various primary and secondary montane habitats at elevations of 900-2000 m. Osgood’s Vietnamese Rat can be found in grass and dense shrubbery, forest margins or scattered through forests with open canopies, and thick scrub cover adjacent to agriculturalfields.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Osgood’s Vietnamese Rat is mostly nocturnal and probably terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Osgood’s Vietnamese Rat is apparently common and found in multiple protected areas in its restricted distribution. It faces no known major conservation threats.

Bibliography. Correia (2016b), Francis (2008), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser & Newcomb (1985).