370.

Red Tree Rat

Pithecheir melanurus

French: Pithécheir de Java / German: Java-Affenfullratte / Spanish: Rata arboricola roja

Other common names: Javan Pithecheir

Taxonomy. Pithecheir melanurus Lesson, 1840,

“I'lle de Sumatra ou le Bengale.” Restricted by G. B. Corbet and J. E. Hill in 1992 to Java, Indonesia.

Pithecheir melanurus for long included P. parvus, butin 1971 I. Muul and B. L.Lim recognized two valid species of Pithecher, an opinion followed by G. G. Musser and C. Newcomb in 1983 and G. B. Corbet and J. E. Hill in 1992. P. melanurus has never been sequenced, and its taxonomic position is therefore still unclear. Monotypic.

Distribution. W Java.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 159-176 mm,tail 190-213 mm, ear 15 mm, hindfoot 28 32 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Red Tree Ratis a mediumsized rat with a tawny dorsal pelage and paler underparts. Tail is black, and slightly longer than head-body length; distal portion ofthe tail is prehensile. Hindfeet are wide, short, and well adapted for climbing; each hallux in Pithecheir bears a small claw or scale-like claw. Skull bears inflated tympanic bullae representing 20% of maximum skull length.

Habitat. Presumably lowland tropical forest at up to 1200 m.

Food and Feeding. Red Tree Rats primarily feed on green plant materials, although captive individuals fed on plantains and crickets.

Breeding. Single young have been recorded six times from April to September. Young are carried by attaching themselves to the teats with their incisors, grasping onto their mothers fur with their hands and feet.

Activity patterns. Red Tree Rats are arboreal and probably nocturnal. They sleep during the day in globular nests, which have been reported to be 2-3-5 m above the ground in tree ferns and forest understory; they have thin walls and consist of dry leaves from trees, ferns, and bamboo, being about 150 mm in diameter.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List because it is known from few individuals, and has a small range with high fragmentation of the habitats.

Bibliography. Bartels (1937), Corbet & Hill (1992), Fabre et al. (2015), Kloss (1916b), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser & Newcomb (1983), Muul & Lim (1971).