747.

Ochraceous-bellied Bornean Spiny Rat

Maxomys ochraceiventer

French: Maxomys a ventre jaune / German: Ockerbauch-Rajah-Ratte / Spanish: Rata espinosa de Borneo de vientre ocre

Other common names: Chestnut-bellied Spiny Rat, Ochraceous-bellied Bornean Maxomys

Taxonomy. Mus ochraceiventer Thomas, 1894,

“Mount Kinabalu, below 3000 feet [= 1700 m],” northern Borneo, Malaysia .

Maxomys ochraceiventer is sister to a possibly undescribed species from Sulawesi that has been previously identified as M. hellwaldi Monotype from Pegunungan Mekkonga. Monotvpic.

Distribution. N & C Borneo.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 140- 171 mm, tail 130-175 mm, ear 15-19 mm, hindfoot 30-35 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Ochraceousbellied Bornean Spiny Rat is medium-sized, with short and spiny pelage. Dorsum is grizzled reddish brown, darker along back and head, lighter on sides and cheeks (more orangish red), and fading into ventral pelage. Venter is ocherous yellowish orange and spiny like dorsal pelage. Feet are white, long, and narrow. Ears are rounded and elongated, with reddish tinge; vibrissae are long and dark. Tail is ¢.101% of headbody length and bicolored, dark brownish black above and white below. Various species of the fur mite Listrophoroides and many other parasites have been recorded from the Ochraceous-bellied Bornean Spiny Rat. There are four pairs of mammae: one pectoral, one post-axillary, one abdominal, and one inguinal.

Habitat. Dipterocarp and lower montane forests and mossy oak-laurel forest at elevations of 300-1700 m.The Ochraceous-bellied Bornean Spiny Rat has been reported in logged areas in some regions but not others.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Ochraceous-bellied Bornean Spiny Rat is nocturnal and terrestrial, probably nesting in burrows.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCNRed List. The Ochraceous-bellied Bornean Spiny Rat is probably threatened by extensive deforestation from logging in its relatively limited distribution, but it occurs in protected areas such as Kubah and Kinabalu national parks. Additional research is needed to fully understand its natural history, taxonomy, and threats.

Bibliography. Achmadi et al. (2013), Bochkov & O'Connor (2005), Cusack (2011), Gerrie & Kennerley (2017b), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser et al. (1979), Nor (2001), Phillipps & Phillipps (2016), Steppan & Schenk (2017), Tamrin & Abdullah (2011).