709.

Papua New Guinea Rat

Rattus novaeguineae

French: Rat de Nouvelle-Guinée / German: Papua-Neuguinea-Ratte / Spanish: Rata de PapuaNueva Guinea

Other common names: New Guinea Rat, New Guinean Rat

Taxonomy. Rattus novaeguineae |. M. Taylor & Calaby, 1982,

Kalolo Creek,1070 m,

Papua New Guinea.

Rattus novaeguineae is included in a clade of

Recent New Guinea native species of Rattus and is closest to R.steini . It might represent multiple species, although more research is needed to confirm this. Monotypic.

Distribution. E New Guinea.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 155-235 mm (males) and 155-200 mm (females), tail 155-170 mm (males) and 135-180 mm (female), ear 19-7-22 mm (males) and 17-23-7 mm (females), hindfoot 34-37-4 mm (males) 32-7-37 mm and (females); weight 103-180 g (males) and 105-154 g (females). The Papua New Guinea Rat is medium-sized and similar to Stein’s New Guinea Rat ( R. steini), but its tail and feet are longer. Pelage is harsh, with spines throughout dorsal and ventral pelage. Dorsum is deep brown, with cinnamon-tipped hairs, medium gray underfur, and black-tipped guard hairs. Juveniles are dark brown, with less developed cinnamon-tipped hairs. Venter is white or yellowish, with gray underfur and central streak of white or yellow, being sharply demarcated from dorsal pelage. Spines are translucent at bases, with cinnamon tips dorsally and yellowish or white throughout ventrally. Feet are covered with white hair dorsally. Ears are covered with short brown hair; vibrissae are fairly long. Tail is a little less than 100% of head-body length and medium brown, although there are specimens with white tip or mottled colors. Skull is slightly elongated, with robust rostrum. There are four pairs of mammae: two pectoral and two inguinal. Diploid number is 2n = 32.

Habitat. Tropical moist forests, secondary forests, grasslands, and vegetation along streams and riverbanks in montane forests at elevations of 740-1520 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Papua New Guinea Rats reproduce year-round;litters have 4-6 young.

Activity patterns. The Papua New Guinea Rat is probably terrestrial, but it was collected on a fallen log 2 m aboveground. Two specimens were caught in nests.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Papua New Guinea Rat has a wide distribution and often has dense populations. More research is needed to fully understand its natural history and potential conservation threats.

Bibliography. Dickman, Helgen, Leary & Wright (2016), Durden (1991), Flannery (1995b), Leary & Seri (1997), Musser & Carleton (2005), Rowe et al. (2011), Taylor et al. (1982).