183.

Palawan Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse

Chiropodomys calamianensis

French: Souris-a-pinceau de Palawan / German: Palawan-Pinselschwanz-Baummaus / Spanish: Ratén arboricola de cola de lapiz de Palawan

Taxonomy. Chiropodomys calamianensis E. H. Taylor, 1934,

sealevel, Minuit, Busuanga Island, Calamian Islands, Philippines.

Morphological features align it with C. major of mainland Borneo. Monotypic.

Distribution. Recorded from Palawan and nearby islands of Calauit, Busuanga, Dumaran, and Balabac, in Philippines.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 109- 122 mm, tail 140-171 mm, ear 15-19 mm, hindfoot 25-26 mm; weight 40-5 g. One of the larger speciesof Chiropodomys, with typical body form for this arboreal genus—short head with large eyes, moderately large ears, and elongate, narrow vibrissae; slender body with short, soft, dense fur with inconspicuous scattered guard hairs; short, broad hindfoot with nailed hallux and short, recurved claws on second to fourth digits; elongate, well-furred tail bearing distinct brush or terminal tuft; and two mammae on each side, both inguinal. The Palawan Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse is brightly colored, with dark buffybrown to reddish-brown fur on dorsum and flanks, pale cream to pale orange on venter, and a strip of buffy-orange fur usually present on each side between flank and venter. Fur on cheeks also buffy orange. Forefeet have white or pale brown hairs; hindfeet with pale to dark brown hairs extending from ankle to base of digits, digits with white hairs. Tail is moderately to very long, brown or blackish brown along entire length. Skull with strongly flared zygomatic arches, very small molar teeth, and proportionally large auditory bullae. Juveniles have shorter and finer pelage, dorsum grayish brown and venter cream. No published information on karyotype. A specimen from Balabac Island differs from other populationsin its richer orange to red hues on dorsum and venter, and lack of cheek patches or distinct bufty strip on flanks.

Habitat. Few records, from a range of natural and anthropogenic habitats including lowland forest, bamboo thickets, coconut groves, and a residential area close to secondary forest. One specimen was trapped in rafters of a building in a beach-front coconut grove. It thus appears moderately tolerant of habitat disturbance. Mostly near sea level, but one record at 250 m on Palawan.

Food and Feeding. The Palawan Pencil-tailed Tree Mouseis likely to be primarily herbivorous..

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Palawan Pencil-tailed Tree Mice are arboreal and mainly nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Kennerley (2016d), Musser (1979), Sanborn (1952a), Taylor (1934).