788.

Small-eared Rat

Taeromys microbullatus

French: Rat-laineux a petites oreilles / German: KleinohrSulawesi-Ratte / Spanish: Rata de orejas pequenas

Other common names: Small-eared Taeromys

Taxonomy. Rattus microbullatus Tate & Archbold, 1935,

Tanke Salokko (high-est place in Pegunungan Mekongga), 3°35°’S/121°15’E, 1500 m, Pegunungan Mekongga (= Mengkoka), south-eastern Peninsula, Indonesia.

The placement of 1. microbullatus in relation to other species of Taeromys is uncertain, but it is morphologically most similar to 1. callitrichus . Monotypic.

Distribution. Tanke Salokko, SE peninsula of Sulawesi.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 203 mm, tail 223 mm, hindfoot 42 mm. Nospecific data are available for body weight. The Small-eared Rat is medium-sized, with relatively small ears. Pelage is long, with sparsely distributed, shortish black guard hairs. Dorsum is dark gray, speckled with ashy white, slightly browner on sides. Venter is dark buffy brown, sharply demarcated from dorsum. Feet and digits are brownish black. Ears are similar in color to dorsum. Tail is 110% of head-body length, blackish for basal one-half, and white for distal one-half. There are three pairs of mammae: one post-axillary and two inguinal. Skull has heavy rostrum, broad molars, short palatal openings, and very small bullae.

Habitat. [Lower and upper montane rainforests at elevations of ¢.1500 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Small-eared Rat is probably nocturnal and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Smalleared Rat is only known from the type series (two adults and one juvenile collected in 1932) and is not found in any protected areas. It is most likely threatened by habitat loss, although there is less forest loss in south-eastern Sulawesi than in other parts of the island.

Bibliography. Corbet & Hill (1992), Fabre et al. (2013), Musser (1970b, 2008, 2014), Musser & Carleton (2005), Tate & Archbold (1935a).