745.

Malayan Mountain Spiny Rat

Maxomys inas

French: Maxomys de |'Inas / German: Malaya-Rajah-Ratte / Spanish: Rata espinosa de montana de Malasia

Other common names: Malayan Mountain Maxomys

Taxonomy. Mus inas Bonhote, 1906,

Gunung Inas, Perak (Malay Peninsula), Malaysia.

Maxomys inas appears to be closely related to M. whiteheads, but genetic data are needed to confirm this. Monotypic.

Distribution. NW Peninsular Malaysia; perhaps extreme S peninsularThailand.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 124- 163 mm, tail 135-167 mm, ear 19-22 mm, hindfoot 31-33 mm. No specific data are available for body aideThe Malayan Mountain Spiny Rat is small, with short and spiny pelage. Dorsum is dark reddish brown. Venteris grayish chestnut, with gray hairs having chestnut tips. Feet are brownish white, long, and narrow. Ears are rounded and dark grayish; vibrissae are long and dark. Tail is 95-105% of head-body length and sharply bicolored, dark blackish brown above and white below. Skull is large compared with Whitehead’s Sundaic Spiny Rat ( M. whiteheadi). The fur mite genus Listrophoroides has been recorded from the Malayan Mountain Spiny Rat. There are four pairs of mammae: one pectoral, one post-axillary, one abdominal, and one inguinal. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 42, FN = 83 (males) and 84 (females).

Habitat. Montane forests at elevations above 900 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Malayan Mountain Spiny Rat is terrestrial and mostly nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Malayan Mountain Spiny Rat has a restricted distribution but is relatively common. It does not seem to have any major threats. It occurs in Selangor Wildlife Reserve and Kenaboi Forest Reserve. Additional research is needed to fully understand its natural history, taxonomy, and threats.

Bibliography. Achmadi et al. (2013), Aplin (2016x), Bochkov & O'Connor (2005), Breed & Yong (1986), Corbet & Hill (1992), Francis (2008), Musser & Carleton (2005), Nor (2001), Ramli & Hashim (2009), Rickart & Musser (1993), Steppan & Schenk (2017).