730.

Herbert's Long-tailed Giant Rat

Leopoldamys herberti

French: Rat de Herbert / German: Herbert-Langschwanz-Riesenratte / Spanish: Rata gigante de cola larga de Herbert

Other common names: Herbert's Leopoldamys

Taxonomy. Epimys vociferans herberti Kloss, 1916,

“Pak Jong, Eastern Siam, 900 ft.,” northern Thailand.

Leopoldamys neilliwas recently synonymized under L. herberti based on genetic data from animals near both of their type localities clustering together, while animals in part of the distribution of L. sabanus were given the name L. revertens. Another study refuting this view found that the holotype of L. herberti actually clustered morphological with populations of L. revertens and other specimens from near the type locality were also found to genetically cluster with them. Thus, L. neilli is recognized as the valid name for the species it represented before being synonymized under L. herberti, while L. herbertiis the correct name for animals allocated to L. revertens because herbert: has priority over revertens. Although the full distribution of L. herberti is uncertain, former northern distribution of L. sabanus is recognized as L. herberti. There is considerable genetic diversity within L. herbert: that should be studied further.

Distribution. Bangladesh, NE India, SC China, SE Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and N & W Cambodia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 230-285 mm,tail 253-328 mm, hindfoot 45 mm; weight 203-276 g. Herbert's Long-tailed Giant Rat is large, with short, sleek, and soft pelage. Dorsum is buffy yellowish, with gray underfur, long guard hairs mixed throughout, and darker along spine and paler and more yellow along sides. Venter is creamy yellowish white and sharply demarcated from dorsum. Feet have pale grayish stripe dorsally, and hindfeet are long with white toes on forefeet and hindfeet. Ears are grayish black, long, and rubbery; vibrissae are very long. Tail is mottled and very light gray and white. Skull is large, with shorter and broader rostrum compared with other species of Leopoldamys . There are four pairs of mammae: one pectoral, one post-axillary, and two inguinal pairs. Chromosomal complementis 2n = 42, FN = 56.

Habitat. Lowland tropical forests at low elevations.

Food and Feeding. Herbert's Long-tailed Giant Rat probably eats green vegetation, seeds, and insects.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Herbert's Long-tailed Giant Rat is nocturnal and mostly terrestrial, although it is commonly caught in the canopy.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Herbert's Long-tailed Giant Rat has a wide distribution and probably stable overall population. More research is needed to fully understand its natural history and conservation threats.

Bibliography. Balakirev, Abramov & Rozhnov (2013), Duncan & Van Peenen (1971), Francis (2008), Kloss (1916a), Kuznetsov & Filatova (2007), Latinne, Chaval et al. (2013), Latinne, Waengsothorn et al. (2013), Musser (1981a), Musser & Carleton (2005).