630.

Ohia Rat

Srilankamys ohiensiis

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

Other common names: Phillips's Srilankamys

Taxonomy. Rattus ohiensis W. W. A. Phillips, 1929,

West Haputale, Ohiya, Sri Lanka.

G. G. Musser in 1981 highlighted morphological differences among S. ohienss, Rattus, and Niviventer . A recent molecular study confirmed position of Srilankamys within the Rattini, and E. V. Buzan and colleagues in 2011 and S.J. Steppan and J. J. Schenk in 2017 identified it as the basal taxon of the Rattinidivision. Monotypic. Distribution. C Sri Lanka.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 145 mm,tail 173 mm, hindfoot 31 mm, ear 20 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Ohia Rat is medium-sized, with brown dorsum and pale cream venter, sharply demarcated from dorsum. Fur is soft, fine, dense, and short. Finely scaled tail is ¢.119% of head-body length. Incisors are white; molars are small and narrow.

Habitat. Lowland and montane forests at elevations of 915-2310 m. In a recent survey in Sinharaja forest area, Ohia Rats were trapped in pristine closed forests, with relatively dense canopy and sparse undergrowth and in secondary forest selectively logged in the 1970s. They were not caught in abandoned villages or plantations.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Ohia Rat is nocturnal and digs burrows.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Ohia Rat has a small fragmented distribution and is not abundant.

Bibliography. Buzan et al. (2011), Musser (1981a), Phillips (1929, 1980), Steppan & Schenk (2017), Wijesinghe & Brooke (2005a, 2005b).