261.

Seram Long-tailed Mosaic-tailed Rat

Melomys fulgens

French: Mélomys de Teluti / German: Langschwanzige Seram-Mosaikschwanzratte / Spanish: Rata de cola moteada de Seram de cola larga

Other common names: Seram Long-tailed Melomys

Taxonomy. Uromys fulgens Thomas, 1920,

“Teluti Bay [SeramIsland, Indonesia]. Sealevel.”

Melomys fulgens was originally described in genus Uromys, and was later considered by some authors to be a subspecies or a synonym of M. leucogaster, but is now generally considered a distinct species. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from Teloeti Bay, S coast of Seram I, Indonesia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 150 mm, tail 200-205 mm, ear 17-19 mm, hindfoot 34 mm. No data are available for body weight. The Seram Long-tailed Mosaic-tailed Rat is a large Melomys related to the White-bellied Mosaic-tailed Rat ( M.leucogaster). Although superficially very similar to latter species in its morphology, it has a much longer tail in relation to head-body length that is scaleless and calloused near tip, indicating dorsal prehensility, an adaptation absent in leucogaster . The only two known specimens have bright orange dorsal fur, but it should not be assumed that all examples of this species are colored similarly.

Habitat. Little known; lowland tropical forest habitats. It has been collected close

to sea level, suggesting that it is a lowland species.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The very long prehensile tail suggests that the Seram Long-tailed Mosaic-tailed Ratis highly arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List owing to the absence of recent information on its extent of occurrence, threats,status, and ecological requirements. The Seram Long-tailed Mosaic-tailed Rat was collected only in 1920, with no surveys for the species since, and new survey work is therefore needed. It is presumed to be threatened by logging of lowland forest, and is probably also susceptible to competition from introduced rodents.

Bibliography. Helgen (2003), Musser & Carleton (2005), Thomas (1920c).