786.

Celebes Rat

Taeromys celebensis

French: Rat-laineux de Gray / German: Sulawesi-Ratte / Spanish: Rata de Célebes

Other common names: Long-tailed Taeromys

Taxonomy. Mus (Gymnomys) celebensis Gray, 1867,

Manado, north-eastern Penin- sula, Indonesia .

The exact relationship of 71. celebensis to other species of Taeromys is uncertain, es- pecially because 7. celebensis is so morpho- logically dissimilar to the other species. Monotypic.

Distribution. NE and SW peninsulas, con- necting through C Sulawesi.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 201- 250 mm, tail 244-306 mm, ear 25-28 mm, hindfoot 43-56 mm; weight 190-345 g. The Celebes Rat is large, with soft, silky, and dense pelage and shortish dark guard hairs. Dorsum is grayish brown; venter is white to cream to pale yellow. Feet are long, slender, and dark brown. Ears are large, rounded, and dark brown. Tail is 123% of head-body length, blackish brown basally, and white for the distal two-thirds to three-fourths. There are three pairs of mammae: one post-axillary and two inguinal pairs. Skull has wide rostrum and sturdy zygomatic plates, similar to the Lovely-haired Rat (7. callitrichus). The nematode Syphacia has been recorded in the Celebes Rat. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 39 (male) and 40 (female), FN = 49 (males) and 50 (females).

Habitat. Tropical lowland evergreen rainforests at elevations below 1200 m.

Food and Feeding. The Celebes Rat eats fruit.

Breeding. Litters of Celebes Rats have 2-3 young.

Activity patterns. The Celebes Rat is nocturnal. Unlike other species of Taeromys,it is mainly arboreal and somewhatterrestrial, as exemplified by its longertail, and is easier to trap than the other species.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Unlike most other species of Taeromys, the Celebes Ratis relatively easy to catch and is known from many museum specimens. It has a wide distribution, is fairly common, and occurs in Lore Lindu National Park and several other protected areas. Habitat loss from logging and agricultural expansion is a major threat, and it can be found in bushmeat markets on the north-western Sulawesi.

Bibliography. Breed & Musser (1991), Cassola (2016ag), Corbet & Hill (1992), Dewi & Hasegawa (2014), Fabre et al. (2013), Maryanto et al. (2009), Musser (2014), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser & Newcomb (1983).