174.

Mindanao Hairy-tailed Rat

Batomys salomonseni

French: Batomys de Salomonsen / German: Mindanao-Haarschwanzratte / Spanish: Rata de cola peluda de Mindanao

Other common names: Mindanao Batomys, Mindanao Hairy-tailed Rat

Taxonomy. Mindanaomys salomonseni Sanborn, 1953,

Mt. Katanglad, Bukidnon Province, Mindanao Island, Philippines.

Originally described in a new genus, Mind-anaomys, but this was subsequently subsumed into Batomys . In a 2006 molecular study, S. A. Jansa and colleagues found B. salomonseni to be sister to a clade including Crateromys heaneyiand B. grantii, thus making Batomys paraphyletic. In 2015, D. S. Balete and colleagues found B. salomonseni and B. hamiguitan to be basal to a clade formed by Batomys and C. heaneyi . Further analyses, using a higher number of genes, should clarify the phylogeny of this taxon. Monotypic.

Distribution. Biliran, Leyte, Dinagat, and Mindanao Is, Philippines.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 138-191 mm,tail 130-167 mm, ear 19-24 mm, hindfoot 33-41 mm; weight 143-255 g. The Mindanao Hairy-tailed Rat is a mid-sized rat with long, shaggy or woolly fur. Dorsal pelage is paler reddish brown compared to the Luzon Cordillera Hairy-tailed Rat ( B. grantii), being brighter along the sides of the head and body. There is no partial ask pattern, which is conspicuous in the Luzon Cordillera Hairy-tailed Rat. Ventral pelage is a paler buffy brown and is not sharply demarcated from the dorsal pelage. There is a narrow ring of dark bar skin surrounded by black hairs. Vibrissae are very long, extending well beyond the ears. Feet are white with a patch of brownish fur on the dorsal surface of the hindfeet, which are narrower than in the Luzon Cordillera Hairytailed Rat with noticeably smaller and thinner pads ventrally. Tail is moderately hairy, dark brownish, and shorter (c.65-85%) than head-body length. Skull has short incisive foramina, a short cranium, postpalatal region, and molar row, a narrow zygomatic plate, multiple upper and lower molar roots, and a posterior cingulum at the back of each first upper molar. Females have two pairs of mammae, both inguinal. Chromosomes: 2n = 52, FN = 52.

Habitat. Evergreen tropical lowland to montane forest from sea level up to 2400 m.

Food and Feeding. Mindanao Hairy-tailed Rats are herbivorous.

Breeding. Pregnant females were captured in March bearing one or two embryos.

Activity patterns. The Mindanao Hairy-tailed Rat is nocturnal or crepuscular and it has been caught on the ground.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Mindanao Hairy-tailed Rats have been found in protected areas, but they are possibly at threat due to habitat degradation from encroaching agricultural development in lowland regions.

Bibliography. Balete et al. (2015), Heaney, Tabaranza, Rickart et al. (2006), Jansa etal. (2006), Musser, Heaney & Tabaranza (1998).