314.

White-bellied Moss Mouse

Pseudohydromys sandrae

French: Souris-musaraigne de Sandra / German: WeiRbauch-Moosmaus / Spanish: Ratén de musgo de vientre blanco

Taxonomy. Pseudohydromys sandrae K. M. Helgen & L. E.Helgen, 2009,

“Namasado, Mt. Sisa (= Mt. Haliago, 06°12’S, 142°46’E, Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea ...), between 800-850 m, in the Kikori River Basin.”

Pseudohydromys sandrae was referred by K. M. Helgen and L. E. Helgen to an occidentalis species group that also includes P. occidentalis and P. musseri . Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from type locality in Southern Highlands Province, EC New Guinea.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 108 mm, tail 101 mm, ear 13 mm, hindfoot 22 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Pseudohydromys is a taxonomically diverse group of small-bodied murines characterized by dense, velvety to plush fur; a variably narrowed and flattened head with small eyes and ears; head generally without contrasting pattern; vibrissae fine and elongate, extending past ears; eyes small to minute; narrow hindfeet lacking webbing between digits and with claws on all digits; narrow and thinly furred tail approximating to combined length of head and body; mammae (when known) two on each side, both inguinal; cranium delicately built with small molars reduced in number to two or fewer per quadrant. Members of the occidentalis species group have relatively short tail, two very reduced molars per quadrant, a short rostrum, and other special cranial features. The White-bellied Moss Mouse is a medium-sized member of the genus and one of the few that are brightly colored; furis short and velvety, dull gray brown on upperparts with a striking and abrupt change to pure white below and on throat, chin, and upperlips; head narrow as inmost species of Pseudohydromys; vibrissae fine and elongate, extending past ears, which are small and gray; upper surfaces of feet white; tail short (93% of head—body length) relatively pale, especially on underside, and with mottling. Mammae not known as holotype is male.

Habitat. The single capture locality is situated in evergreen, tropical hill forest growing on undulating volcanic terrain.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Little is known, but the White-bellied Moss Mouse’s unusually bright coloration raises possibilities of a distinctive ecology.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The southwestern slopes of Mount Sisa support a moderately low human population engaged in traditional agriculture based on shifting cultivation. A new threat to regional habitats comes from increasing forestry activity in this area.

Bibliography. Dwyer (1990), Engelbrektsson (2016e), Flannery (1995b), Helgen & Helgen (2009), Jackson & Woolley (1993), Menzies & Dennis (1979), Musser & Carleton (1993, 2005).