646.

Himalayan White-bellied Rat

Niviventer niviventer

French: Rat a ventre blanc / German: GroRe Himalaya-\ WeiRbauchratte / Spanish: Rata de vientre blanco del Himalaya

Other common names: Common Niviventer, Common White-bellied Rat, Himalayan Niviventer, White-bellied Rat

Taxonomy. Mus niviventer Hodgson, 1836,

Nepal .

Throughout most ofits taxonomic history, N. niviventer has been recognized as wide ranging, with many species recognized within Niviventer variously included as synonyms and subspecies. Recent studies have restricted N. niviventer to populations around the Himalayas, leaving other populations throughout the Oriental region to be broken up into various

species. Phylogenetic position of N. niviventer in Niviventer is still debatable. Some studies have found it close to N. eha or N. brahma, and it could very well be sister to a clade containing both ofthem. It has also been found that this clade ( N. niviventer and N. e¢ha or N. brahma) may be sister to N. tenaster, N. coninga, and N. lotipes. More research is needed to determine phylogenetic position of N. niviventer in the genus. Monotypic.

Distribution. N & NE India, Nepal, Bhutan, recent record from N Vietnam (Lao Cai Province), and possibly SW China (Guangxi).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 133-160 mm, tail ¢.212 mm on average. No specific data are available for body weight. The Himalayan White-bellied Rat is small and relatively vibrant. Pelage is soft. Dorsum is ruby red, occasionally with rusty hue (pelage is less bright than in the Indochinese White-bellied Rat, N. fulvescens). Venter is pure white, without any yellowish hue, but some specimens have brown or yellowish brown spot on their chest or neck. Tail is ¢.145%of head-body length, rigid, and bicolored, brown above and paler below, with completely unicolored tip. Tops offorefeet and hindfeet have brownstripe running down centers; fingers and sides offeet are white. Ears are dark brown; vibrissae are long. There are five digits on each foot, with fifth digit reduced with small claw. Skull is small, without prominent bony ridges, elongated, narrow, and broader than skulls ofthe Indochinese White-bellied Rat and the South China White-bellied Rat ( N. huang). There are four pairs of mammae: one pectoral, one post-axillary, one abdominal, and oneinguinal.

Habitat. Temperate coniferous forests, broadleafforests, and tropical and subtropical evergreen and riverine forests near streams at elevations up to 3600 m.

Food and Feeding. The Himalayan White-bellied Rat probably eats seeds, leaves, and possibly arthropods.

Breeding. One study involving captive Himalayan White-bellied Rats showedthat newborns weighed 2-8 g on average and highest mortality rate occurred during the first five days after birth. Young opened their eyes after 18-22 days, were weaned after 25-30 days, and became independent c.1 week after being weaned.

Activity patterns. The Himalayan White-bellied Rat is nocturnal, fossorial, and mainly terrestrial, although it may also be semi-arboreal. It is probably sympatric with the Indochinese White-bellied Rat.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Himalayan White-bellied Rat has a wide distribution and presumably stable and large overall population. Habitat loss and fragmentation through fires, jhuming (shifting cultivation), and general human encroachment are major threats. It is listed as a pest under Schedule V ofthe Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Bibliography. Balakirev & Rozhnov (2010), Balakirev et al. (2011), Bao Yixin et al. (1992), Ellerman (1941, 1961), He Kai & Jiang Xuelong (2015), Lu Liang et al. (2015), Molur (2016g), Molur et al. (2005), Musser (1981a), Musser & Carleton (2005).