218.

Kalinga Shrew Mouse

Soricomys kalinga

French: Rat kalinga / German: Kalinga-Spitzkopfmaus / Spanish: Raton musarana de Bali

Other common names: Cordillera Shrew Mouse

Taxonomy. Archboldomys kalinga Balete, Rickart & Heaney, 2006,

Mt. Bali-it, Ka-linga Province, Luzon Island, Philippines.

Genus Soricomys was recently erected during a revision of genus Archboldomys following molecular and morphological findings, and taxon kalinga was then transferred from latter genus to Soricomys . Genetically, S. kalinga is closely related to S. montanus . Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from Mt Bali and its surroundings, Luzon I, Philippines.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 93-108 mm, tail 85-101 mm, ear 13-15 mm, hindfoot 23-25 mm; weight 21-29 g. The Kalinga Shre Mouse is a small shrew mouse with an elongated snout and small eyes. Pelage is thick bus short. Dorsal pelage is a lighter orange brown compared to other Soricomys and ventral pelage is relatively paler than dorsum; they are not demarcated sharply. Lips and rhinarium are dark gray. Eyelids are edged in black and surrounded by a pale reddish brown ring of short fur. Ears are small, rounded, and dark gray; vibrissae are moderately long and extend beyond the ears. Tail is short (c.91-93% of head-body length) and is an orangish brown coloration. Hindfeet are slender with long digits and long claws that are opaque in color, being medium brownish gray dorsally and darker ventrally. Pollex is reduced to a small stump with a nail rather than a claw. Forefeet are dark gray dorsally with darker digits and black ventrally. Skull has a narrow, dorsally flattened cranium, long and slender tympanic hook, deep rostrum, long diastema, narrow palate at M1, short maxillary molar row, short first upper molar, robust, broadly backswept coronoid process, robust, broadly tapered condyle, and short, robust angular process compared to its congeners. Females bear twopairs of inguinal mammae. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 42.

Habitat. Montane and mossy forests from 1600 m to 2150 m. These forest types consist of oaks ( Quercus, Fagaceae), podocarps ( Podocarpaceae), laurels ( Lauraceae), myrtles ( Myrtus, Myrtaceae), and rhododendrons ( Rhododendron, Ericaceae).

Food and Feeding. Kalinga Shrew Mice feed on earthworms, insects, and other invertebrates. They forage on the ground among litter.

Breeding. Two pregnant females with two embryos each, one having a placental scar as well, were captured in April. Scrotal males were captured in February.

Activity patterns. Kalinga Shrew Mice and diurnal. They are terrestrial, but occasionally can climb up to 2 m aboveground on fallen trunks and trees, and are often seen running to their pathways in the undergrowth.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Balete, Rickart & Heaney (2006), Balete,Rickart, Heaney, Alviola et al. (2012), Heaney, Balete & Rickart (2016), Rickart & Heaney (2002), Rickart et al. (2005).