253.

Subalpine Woolly Rat

Mallomys istapantap

French: Mallomys subalpin / German: Hochland-Riesenbaumratte / Spanish: Rata lanuda subalpina

Other common names: Subalpine Mallomys

Taxonomy. Mallomys istapantap Flannery, Aplin & Groves, 1989,

Korelum, Mount Hagen District, Papua New Guinea

Mallomys forms a clade with Abeomelomys and Mammelomys . Monotypic.

Distribution. Central Range of New Guinea.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 399-432 mm, tail 279-366 mm, ear 30-31 mm, hindfoot 62-5-80 mm; weight 1-9 kg. The Subalpine Woolly Rat is an extremely large species of giant rat. Pelage is long, dense, and somewhat woolly, with long dark guard hairs throughout. Dorsal pelage is a brownish, grayish black owing to the mix of brown, gray, white, and black components in the hair, and having a barely discernible dorsal stripe; underfur is dense. Ventral pelage is pure white. Feet are dark. Ears are pale and rounded; vibrissae long. Tail is comparatively short (¢.82% of head-body length), black for basalhalf to one-quarter and white for distal half to three-quarters. There are three pairs of mammae, one pectoral and two inguinal. Incisors have orange enamel, rather than white as in the Alpine Woolly Rat ( M. gunung).

Habitat. Upper montane forest, subalpine herb field, and grassland at elevations of 2450-3850 m.The Subalpine Woolly Rat is sympatric with Rothschild’s Woolly Rat ( M. rothschildi) and De Vis’s Woolly Rat ( M. aroaensis).

Food and Feeding. The Subalpine Woolly Rat probably feeds on siliceous ferns and grasses.

Breeding. A single fully furred young was captured in December.

Activity patterns. Subalpine Woolly Rats are probably nocturnal and terrestrial. Nests have been reported inside burrows in moss mounds.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Subalpine Woolly Rat has a relatively wide distribution and is probably found at low densities throughoutits range. It probably occurs in Lorentz National Park. Further research is needed in order fully to understand the natural history and evolution of this species, and any threats facing it.

Bibliography. Flannery (1995b), Flannery et al. (1989), Helgen (2007b), Helgen & Opiang (2011), Musser & Carleton (2005), Steppan & Schenk (2017).