262.

Obi Island Mosaic-tailed Rat

Melomys obiensis

French: Mélomys d'Obi / German: Obi-Mosaikschwanzratte / Spanish: Rata de cola moteada de Obi

Other common names: Obi Island Melomys

Taxonomy. Uromys obiensis Thomas, 1911,

“Obi Island,” Mollucas, Indonesia .

First described as a member of the Uromys genus, obiensis was placed in Melomys by O. Thomas in 1922 and in subgenus Melomys by H. Ruimmler in 1936. Inhis 1996 revision, J. I. Menzies mentioned that the available skull is damaged and could not be used for morphometric analyses, but he followed G. H. H. Tate’s 1951 treat ment and that of T. F. Flannery in 1995

and placed M. obiensis near M. cervinipes . P. H. Fabre and colleagues in 2015 came to a similar result by using geometric morphometric analyses and highlighted the differences between M. burtoni and M. obiensis . Monotypic.

Distribution. Obi [and Bisa I, S of Halmahera I, Indonesia.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 123-129 mm, tail 148-175 mm, ear 14-17 mm, hindfoot 27-29 mm; weight 68-74 g. This small Melomys species was described as having a reddish dorsal pelage and a white ventral pelage. Tail is longer (127%) than headbody length. Feet are small.

Habitat. Lowland primary and secondary rainforests.

Food and Feeding. The Obi Island Mosaic-tailedRat was observed to feed on fruit of Piper aduncum ( Piperaceae) up to 3 m aboveground.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Obi Island Mosaic-tailed Rat is thought to be largely arboreal, but some individuals were trapped on the ground, among rocks and ferns along a creek bank.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern in The IUCN Red List. The Obi Island Mosaic-tailedRat is apparently common on Bisa but is known only from the type locality of ObiIsland. Individuals seem to adapt to deforestation.

Bibliography. Corbet & Hill (1992), Fabre, Fitriana et al. (2017), Fabre, Hautier & Douzery (2015), Flannery (1995a), Helgen (2003), Menzies (1996), Rummler (1936), Tate (1951), Thomas (1922c).