809.

Long-tailed Moss Mouse

Limnomys sibuanus

French: Rat du Sibulan / German: Langschwanz-Moosratte / Spanish: Raton de musgo de cola larga

Other common names: Mindanao Mountain Rat, White-bellied Limnomys

Taxonomy. Limnomys sibuanus Mearns, 1905,

Mount Apo, 2012 m, Davao City Province, south-eastern Mindanao, Philippines.

Limnomys sibuanus is the type species of the genus. It is regarded as member of the New Endemics within the Philippine Muridae radiation. In recent genetic studies (e.g. by S. A. Jansa and colleagues in 2006 and S. J. Steppan andJ. J. Schenk in 2017), Limnomys was in a clade of Limnomys, Tarsomys, and Rattus everett: within Rattini . Monotypic.

Distribution. Mt Malindang, Mt Kitanglad, and Mt Apo, Mindanao I, Philippines.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 119-144 mm, tail 147-174 mm, ear 20-22 mm, hindfoot 28-31 mm; weight 47-82 g. The Long-tailed Moss Mouse is a small-bodied, characterized by relatively long tail, long digits, short recurved claws, and prominent palmar and plantar pads. Upperparts are bright tawny buff, without any indication of pale brown band on neck, which includes some stiff hairs. Back is slightly darker than sides because there are more awns with blackish bands. Underparts are white, with sharp demarcation to upperparts. Ears are brown and densely covered with short brown hairs. Tail is dark brown all over, except tip, which is white for 7-10 mm in adults. Forefeet and hindfeet are brownish white, with dark stripe from ankle to digits on hindfeet. Juveniles have dull and dark grayish upperparts and white underparts. Skull has short rostrum, narrow zygomatic plates, large bullae, slim upper incisors, and relatively short molars. There are six mammae. Chromosomal complement is 2n =42, FN = 61/62.

Habitat. Primary montane and mossy rainforest at elevations of 2000-2800 m. The type specimen was captured on wet vegetation along a small stream, which influenced E. A. Mearns to name the genus “ Limnomys,” which implies close association with streams and is misleading.

Food and Feeding. l.ong-tailed Moss Mice eat fruits, seeds, and invertebrates, probably infrequently. There is no evidence that they eat earthworms or arthropods.

Breeding. Females captured in March on Mount Kitanglad were lactating and had swollen mammae indicating that they had given birth recently.

Activity patterns. Long-tailed Moss Mice are nocturnal. Morphological characteristics suggest scansorial or possibly arboreallifestyle. On Mount Kitanglad, the Long-tailed Moss Mouse and the Gray-bellied Moss Mouse ( L. bryophilus) were captured at an elevation of 2250 m, but the Gray-bellied Moss Mouse was more common at higher elevations, and the Long-tailedMoss Mouse occurred in drier and slightly more disturbed habitats.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Long-tailed Moss Mouse is locally common in high-elevation forests in its restricted distribution and presumably is not under threat. It occurs in Mount Kitanglad Nature Park.

Bibliography. Boitani et al. (2006), Ellerman (1941), Fabre, Hautier et al. (2012), Fabre, Pages et al. (2013), Heaney & Tabaranza (2016a), Heaney, Balete et al. (1998), Heaney, Dolar et al. (2010), Heaney, Tabaranza, Rickart et al. (2006), Jansa et al. (2006), Misonne (1969), Musser (1977, 1994), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser & Heaney (1992), Rickart & Heaney (2002), Steppan & Schenk (2017).