642.

Anderson’s White-bellied Rat

Niviventer andersoni

French: Rat d Anderson / German: Anderson-Weifsbauchratte / Spanish: Rata de vientre blanco de Anderson

Other common names: Anderson's Niviventer

Taxonomy. Epimys andersoni Thomas, 1911,

Omi San, 6000 ft (= 1830 m), Sichuan, south-western China.

Recent phylogenetic research has placed N. andersoni as sister to N. excelsior . Specimens of N. excelsiorhave variously clustered within populations of N. andersoni, but this may be due to misidentification. Nwiventer andersoni is most likely a species complex, with three recognizable clades in north-eastern Sichuan, south-western Sichuan, and Yunnan and south-eastern Tibet. Lu Liang and colleagues in 2015 recognized three subspecies, two of which were described based on cranial and pelage variation. There are no genetic data to validate these subspecies, but there is certainly genetic variation in the species that needs to be investigated. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

N.e.andersoniThomas,1911—SShaanxi,Sichuan,andNWYunnan,China .

N.e.ailaoshanensisLiSong&YangJunxing,2009—WYunnan,SWChina.

N. e. pianmaensis Li Song & YangJunxing, 2009 — Ailaoshan in C Yunnan, SW China.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 150-198 mm, tail 194-269 mm, ear 22-28 mm, hindfoot 31-40 mm; weight 83-182 g. Anderson’s White-bellied Rat is a rather large species of Niviventer —larger than the Sichuan White-bellied Rat ( N. excelsior). Pelage is long and soft but contains flexible soft spines. Dorsum is dark grayish brown, with mixed black hairs, being more ocherous in subspecies ailaoshanensis, along with distal part of tail being maroon, and being darker in subspecies pianmaensis. Sides, neck, and cheek are bright ocherous buff with less black. Dorsal and ventral pelage are demarcated sharply; venter is creamy white and extends up to chin and lowerlip, but there can be darker buffy spot on chest. There is a blackish area behind vibrissae going up around eyes. Ears are dark brown, and vibrissae are long. Forefeet and hindfeet have five digits, with fifth reduced with small claw. Dorsally, feet are dark brown (sometimes white) up until edges of toes, which are white along with sides of feet. Tail is long (c.133% of head-body length), dark all the way around at base and bicolored rest of the length. Top of tail is brownish black, and under surface is white or mottled. Entire tail is covered with longish hairs that form short, thin, and white tip. Skull is more robust than that of the Sichuan White-bellied Rat, with thicker rostrum. There are four pairs of mammae: one pectoral, one post-axillary, one abdominal, and one inguinal.

Habitat. High montane forests at elevations of ¢.2000-3000 m.

Food and Feeding. Anderson’s White-bellied Rat eats leaves, seeds, and arthropods. It can hoard seeds. A study in Shennongjia, central China, found thatits diet is more flexible than some sympatric species, minimizing competition.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Anderson’s White-bellied Ratis arboreal and probably nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Anderson’s White-bellied Rat has a wide distribution and presumably stable overall population.

Bibliography. Balakirev & Rozhnov (2010), Balakirev et al. (2011), Chen Wenwen et al. (2014), He Kai & Jiang Xuelong (2015), Jing Meidong et al. (2007), Li Song & Yang Junxing (2009), Lu Liang et al. (2015), Musser (1981a), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser & Chiu (1979), Smith (2016¢c), Smith & Yan Xie (2008), Sun Shouijia & Zhang Hongmao (2013), Wang Yingxiang (2003), Wang Yuan et al. (2015).