743.

Bartels’s Javan Spiny Rat

Maxomys bartelsii

French: Maxomys de Bartels / German: Bartels-Rajah-Ratte / Spanish: Rata espinosa de Java de Bartels

Other common names: Bartels's Javan Maxomys, Bartels’s Spiny Rat

Taxonomy. Mus bartelsii Jentink, 1910,

“6000 feet (1829 m) on the Pangerangomountain [= Gunung Gede Pangerango],” western Java, Indonesia.

Maxomys bartelsii is sister to M. moi . Monotypic.

Distribution. W & C Java.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 127- 178 mm, tail 117-170 mm, ear 23-27 mm, hindfoot 31-36 mm; weight 93 g. Bartels’s Javan Spiny Rat is medium-sized, with short, soft, and dense pelage. Dorsum is sooty black and more mahoganyon sides. Venteris grayish white. Feet have short straw-colored hairs dorsally and are long and narrow. Ears are rounded; vibrissae are long. Tail is less than 100% of head-body length and blackish basally, fading to yellowish white distally. Short palate of skull is similar to other species of Maxomys, but incisive foramen is longer than that of other species. Various species of chiggers (Gahrliepa, Leptotrombidium, and Schoengastia) have been recorded from Bartels’s Javan Spiny Rat. There are three pairs of mammae: one post-axillary, one abdominal, and one inguinal. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 48, FN = 70.

Habitat. Tropical montane forest up to elevations of ¢.1830 m or higher.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Bartels’s Javan Spiny Rat has a relatively small distribution but does not seem to have any major threats. It occurs in Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park and Kawah Ratu Resort (where is one of the most common rats in the area). Additional research is needed to fully understand its natural history, taxonomy, and threats.

Bibliography. Achmadi (2017), Achmadi et al. (2013), Aplin (2016w), Breed &Taylor (2000), Duncan et al. (1974), Hadi (1991), Maharadatunkamsi (2012), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser et al. (1979), Steppan & Schenk (2017).