676.

Burnished Enggano Rat

Rattus adustus

French: Rat basané / German: Indonesische Glattfellratte / Spanish: Rata de Enggano pulida

Other common names: Burnished Rat, Sunburnt Rat

Taxonomy. Rattus adustus Sody, 1940,

sea level, Kiojoh, off the coast of W Sumatra

(and offthe continental shelf), Pulau Enggano, Indonesia.

Phylogenetic position of Rattus adustus is uncertain, but itis probably related to R. lugens and R. simalurensis . It is only known from the type specimen. Monotypic.

Distribution. EngganoI, off SW Sumatra.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 180 mm, tail 148 mm, ear 22 mm, hindfoot 42 mm (from type specimen). Nospecific data are available for body weight. The Burnished Enggano Rat is medium-sized, with short and harsh pelage having many hard spines mixed throughout. Dorsum is very dark brown (hence the common name); venter is dark brownish gray. Ears are dark. Tail is black and 82% of head-body length. Skull is larger than in the EngganoIsland Rat ( R. enganus). There are five pairs of mammae: two pectoral and three inguinal pairs.

Habitat. Probably forest habitats.

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 Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Burnished Enggano Rat is in critical need for research because it is only known from the type specimen collected in 1920 and virtually nothing is known ofits ecology. It (and the EngganoIsland Rat) could be extinct. It is probably threatened by habitat loss because Enggano’s forests have been almost completely destroyed and competition with the Roof Rat ( R. rattus).

Bibliography. Aplin & Lunde (2008b), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser & Heaney (1985), Sody (1940, 1941).