186.

Gray-bellied Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse

Chiropodomys muroides

French: Souris-a-pinceau de Medway / German: Graubauch-Pinselschwanz-Baummaus / Spanish: Raton arboricola de cola de lapiz de vientre gris

Other common names: Gray Bellied Sunda Tree Mouse

Taxonomy. Chiropodomys muroides Medway, 1965,

“Bundu Tuhan, Mount Kinabalu, 4000 ft [= 1220 m],” Sabah, Malaysia.

Chiropodomys muroides is monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from a few specimens from Mt Kinabalu at 1100-1220 m and North Kalimantan (Long Petak), but probably occurs elsewhere in Borneo.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 66-88 mm, tail 85-91 mm, ear 14-19 mm, hindfoot 15-17 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Graybellied Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse is the smallest species of Chiropodomys, with typical body form for this arboreal genus—short head with large eyes, moderately large, thinly furred ears, and elongate, narrow vibrissae that, folded back, extend up to halfway along length of body; slender body clothed in short, soft and dense fur with inconspicuous scattered guard hairs; short, broad hindfoot with nailed hallux and short, recurved claws on second to fourth digits; elongate, wellfurred tail that bears distinct brush or terminal tuft; and two mammae on each side, both inguinal. Coloration is distinctive: bright buffy-brown upperparts combined with dark gray underparts washed with buff. Unlike some other Chiropodomys, this species lacks distinct strip of buff fur separating dorsal and ventral colors. Tail is moderately long, hairy, and uniformly brown along entire length; terminal brush measures 6 mm. Skull differs from those of other members of genus in combination of small size, relatively broad incisors with pale yellow (rather than orange) enamel, strongly reduced molars, and moderately small auditory bullae.

Habitat. The few records are from “submontane” forest habitat, the relevant elevations on Mount Kinabalu supporting oak ( Quercus, Fagaceae) forest intermixed with hill dipterocarp forest.

Food and Feeding. Dental peculiarities including proportionally robust incisors and reduced molars suggest contrasts with diets of congeners, perhaps focused on the opening of thick-walled endocarps to gain access to seed.

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 Lust.

Bibliography. Gerrie & Kennerley (2016g), Lim & Heyneman (1968), Medway (1965), Musser (1979), Nor (2001).