812.

Luzon Short-nosed Rat

Tryphomys adustus

French: Rat de Lucon / German: Mearns-Luzon-Ratte / Spanish: Rata de pies largos de Luzén

Other common names: Luzon Tryphomys, Mearns's Luzon Rat

Taxonomy. Tryphomys adustus G. S. Miller, 1910,

Haights-in-the-Oaks, Benguet, Lu-zon Island, Philippines .

Closest relative of 1. adustus is Abditomys, both classified in the Philippine New Endemics in the tribe Rattini . Genetic studies are still needed. Monotypic.

Distribution. Central Cordillera and Mt Makiling, Luzon I, Philippines.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 174- 198 mm, tail 150-181 mm, ear 20 mm, hindfoot 32-34 mm; weight 198 g. The Luzon Shortnosed Rat is medium-sized, with stocky body and tail equal to head-body length or shorter. Snout is short and broad. Ears are small. Hindfeet are long and narrow. Dorsalfur is thick, long, and shaggy, with long guard hairs. It has a grizzled appearance. Upperparts are brown, speckled with buff (salt and pepper); underparts are whitish gray or deep buffy gray (gray-based with yellowbrown tips). Dorsal surfaces of hindfeet are whitish gray or whitish brown. Tail is uniformly dark brown, with short hairs readily visible. Females have five pairs of mammae.

Habitat. Wet habitats such as weedy second growth and rice fields, disturbed mossy forest, and other agricultural areas, often in more grassy areas near water, from sea level to elevations of ¢.2400 m.

Food and Feeding. The Luzon Short-nosed Rat probably eats seeds and grasses.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Morphology suggests that the Luzon Short-nosed Rat is terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Luzon Short-nosed Rat is only known from three localities. Basic information is needed on its distribution, population size, habitat needs, and ecology. It is not known to occur in a protected area.

Bibliography. Barbehenn et al. (1972), Boitani et al. (2006), Heaney, Balete, Dolar et al. (1998), Heaney, Balete & Rickart (2016), Heaney, Dolar et al. (2010), Kennerley (2016c¢), Miller (1910), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser & Heaney (1992), Musser & Newcomb (1983), Rabor (1955), Rickart, Balete et al. (2016), Rickart, Heaney et al. (2011), Sanborn (1952a).