778.

Elegant Margareta Rat

Margaretamys elegans

French: Rat élégant / German: Elegante Margareta-Ratte / Spanish: Rata margarita elegante

Other common names: Elegant Margaretamys

Taxonomy. Margaretamys elegans Musser, 1981,

Gunung Nokilalaki, 1980 m, central Sulawesi, Indonesia.

In a phylogenetic study by M. Pages and colleagues in 2016, M. elegans was sister to M. christinae . Both are in the Dacnomys division. In the most recent phylogenetic study by S. J. Steppan and J. J. Schenk in 2017, M. elegans is well-nested in Rattini . Monotypic.

Distribution. Mt Nokilalaki, C Sulawesi and a single record farther S of the Mamasa area.Likely to occur on other montane regions of C Sulawesi.

780.

Diurnal Sulawesian Shrew Rat

Melasmothrix naso

French: Rat diurne / German: Kleine Sulawesi-Spitzmausratte / Spanish: Rata musarana diurna de Célebes Other common names: Diurnal Sulawesi Shrew Rat, Sulawesi Shrew Rat

Descriptive notes. Head-body 165-197 mm, tail 220-286 mm, hindfoot 35— 39 mm, ear 23-27 mm; weight 85-150 g. The Elegant Margareta Rat is the most squirrel-like species of rnin with thick, long, very soft pelage and long guard hairs. It is much bigger than Beccari’s Margareta Rat ( M. beccarii), with much longer tail. Upperparts are brown, mixed with tawny along sides and black on top; underparts are grayish white. Eyes are surrounded by blackish brown hair, extending to muzzle, forming mask. Rostral vibrissae and above are very long, some reaching 83 mm. Ears are small and translucent pale brown. Forefeet and hindfeet are solid dark brown, with white digits. Long tail is covered with long hairs, increasing in length toward tip, becoming penicillate on distal one-half, and ending with tufted tip. Tail resembles a long, slender, brown, and white feather plume. Basal part oftail is dark brown; distal part is white. Juveniles are more woolly than adults and have gray to grayish brown upperparts and smoky white underparts. Feet are paler than those of adults. Cranium is larger and more elongate than that of Beccari’s Margareta Rat. Females have three pairs of mammae. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 42, FN = 56 (females) and 57 (males).

Taxonomy. Melasmothrix naso G. S. Miller & Hollister, 1921,

“Rano Rano, Middle Celebes [= central Sulawesi|, Indonesia.

The closest living relative to M. nasois Tateo- mys macrocercus, with 1. rhinogradoides as an outgroup, which makes Tateomys paraphyletic and thus in need of being split from or combined with Melasmothrix, pending additional studies. The Tateomys + Melasmothrix clade was sister to a clade including Echiothrix and Paucidentomys . Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from two localities in C Sulawesi.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 115-121 mm, tail 83-92 mm, ear 18-19 mm, hindfoot 28 mm; weight 42-52 g. The Diurnal Sulawesian Shrew Ratis unique, small, and dark, with elongated head and muzzle and small eyes and ears. Pelage is dense and velvety, dark black with golden brown mixed throughout; hairs have slate bases and golden brown tips, with longer glossy black hairs mixed throughout. Venter is barely distinct from dorsum and sides, being slightly less dark. Feet are scarcely haired, and fifth toes are reduced, with flattened nail instead of claw; claws are longest on forefeet (possibly for digging). Tail is ¢.74% of head-body length, sparsely furred, and brownish black. Hands, feet, and ears are brownish black; vibrissae are fairly short and white. Skull is elongated and similar to the Northern Sulawesi Spiny Rat ( Echiothrix leucura), but braincase is relatively larger and rostrum less elongated. The sucking lice Polyplax melasmothrixi has been recorded from this species.

Habitat. Lower and upper montane forest at elevations of 1500-2272 m, Food and Feeding. The Elegant Margareta Rat eats fruits from palms ( Pandanus, Pandanaceae), understory trees (Elaeocarpus, Elaecocarpaceae), and woody vines ( Vaccinium, Ericaceae), moths, and orthropterans (e.g. cicads and crickets).

Breeding. Litters of Elegant Margareta Rats have is 1-2 young.

Activity patterns. The Elegant Margareta Rat is terrestrial and arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Elegant Margareta Rats run down trees, vines, and trunks head first, just like tree squirrels do. They are very quick and very quiet.

Habitat. Cool, wet, and mossy habitats in tropical upper montane rainforest at elevations of 1830-2286 m.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. The Elegant Margareta Rat occurs in ¢.20,000 km?®.Its habitat is believed to be declining in extent, but it isnot believed to be severely fragmented.

Food and Feeding. The Diurnal Sulawesian Shrew Rat apparently primarily eats earthworms and fungus gnats.

Breeding. No information.

Bibliography. Boitani et al. (2006), Mortelliti et al. (2012), Musser (1981a, 2014), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser & Ruedas (2008d), Pages et al. (2016), Steppan & Schenk (2017).

Activity patterns. The Diurnal Sulawesian Shrew Rat is diurnal and terrestrial (possibly a burrowing species based on long claws on forefeet).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. There are very few specimens of the Diurnal Sulawesian Shrew Rat and thus almost no information on its natural history, distribution, and conservation needs. It occurs in Lore Lindu National Park.

779.

Lesser Margareta Rat

Margaretamys parvus

French: Rat des fltaies / German: Kleine Margareta-Ratte / Spanish: Rata margarita menor

Other common names: Lesser Margaretamys

Bibliography. Durden & Musser (1992), Maryanto & Yani (2003), Miller & Hollister (1921), Musser (1982a), Musser, Lunde & Ruedas (2008a), Rowe etal. (2016a).

Taxonomy. Margaretamys parvus Musser, 1981,

Gunung Nokilalaki, 2256 m, central Sulawesi, Indonesia.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Mt Nokilalaki and Mt Kani-no, C Sulawesi.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 96- 114 mm, tail 154-184 mm, hindfoot 23 26 mm, ear 19-21 mm; weight 23-40 g. The Lesser Margareta Rat is much smaller than the Elegant Margareta Rat (M. eegans) and Beccari’s Margareta Rat ( M. beccarii) but has the longest tail relative to body size. Pelage is short, very dense, and soft. Upperparts are rich reddish brown, and there is conspicuous blackish brown mask onface. Underparts are dark grayish white in most specimens; a few havebuffy washed bellies. Vibrissae above eyes and muzzle are up to 55 mm. Ears are small and dark brown. Feet are similar to those of Beccari’s Margareta Rat but more delicate. Tail is unicolored dark brown, with distinct tuft; there is no indication of mottlingor white on tail. Juveniles are slightly paler than adults. Females have three pairs of mammae.

781.

Giant Sulawesi Rat

Paruromys dominator

French: Rat géant / German: Sulawesi-Riesenratte / Spanish: Rata de Célebes gigante

Other common names: Sulawesi Giant Rat

Taxonomy. Rattus dominator Thomas, 1921,

“Mt. Masarang, 4000’ [= 1219 m],”

Minahassa, northern Sulawesi, Indonesia.

J-R. Ellerman, in E. M. O. Laurie and J.

E. Hill's 1954 work, proposed Paruromys as a subgenus of Rattus to include this giant rat, and G. G.Musser and C. Newcomb in 1983 elevated Paruromys to generic rank, which is followed today. Paruromys is phylogenetically allied to other Sulawesian genera. Recent analyses of mitochondrial and nDNA sequences revealed Paruromys as sister to Bunomys and within a well-supported clade that also included Bullimus and Sundamys . According to P-H. Fabre and colleagues in 2013, the sister of Paruromysis Taeromys celebensis, together in a clade consisting of Bunomys, Halmaheramys, Bullimus, and Sundamys . Sometimes P. ursinus (from south-western Sulawesi, Gunung Lompobatang) was treated as subspecies. The status of P. dominator could change with additional studies. Monotypic.

Habitat. Primary montane forests at elevations of 1800-2272 m. The Lesser Margareta Rat is presumably fairly common, but it isarboreal and difficult to trap without targeted effort. It has not been recorded from disturbed areas. Individuals have been trapped on the ground, on decaying tree trunks that bridge streams and ravines, in different levels in understory forest, and in lower parts of upper canopies.

Food and Feeding. The Lesser Margareta Rat eats fruits from palms ( Pandanus, Pandanaceae) and understory trees ( Ficus, Moraceae), moths, and orthopterans (e.g. cicadids, katydids, and crickets).

Breeding. Litters of Lesser Margareta Rats have 1-2 young.

Activity patterns. The Lesser Margareta Rat is terrestrial, scansorial, and arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Distribution. Sulawesi.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Habitat loss due to shifting agriculture at higher elevations is a major threat to the Lesser Margareta Rat. Its very limited known distribution is within Lore Lindu National Park, but additional research is needed to determine ifit is more widely distributed.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 200-279 mm, tail 240-326 mm, ear 27-36 mm, hindfoot 51-60 mm; weight 350-500 g. The Giant Sulawesi Rat is the largest murid in Sulawesi. It has a stocky body, elongated face, and tail much longer than head-body length. Pelageis soft and thick but not long, with short and inconspicuous guard hairs. Appearance and texture of pelage resemble those of the Celebes Rat ( Taeromys celebensis). Upperparts are grayish brown, and underparts are white or cream. Ears and feet are dark brown. Basal part of tail is blackish brown, and distal one-half to two-thirds is white. It has elongated cranium, with very wide zygomatic plates, low braincase, small bullae, short incisive foramina, large and extremely opisthodont upper incisor teeth, and molars with simple cusp patterns. Females have three pairs of mammae.

Bibliography. Boitani et al. (2006), Mortelliti et al. (2012), Musser (1981a, 2014), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser & Ruedas (2008e).

Habitat. Tropical evergreen lowland and montane rainforests from sea level to tree line. All specimens of the Giant Sulawesi Rat originated from forest, and they might be found in areas of low disturbance.

Food and Feeding. Diet consists exclusively of fruits.

Breeding. Nests are found on the ground between or inside rotting tree trunks, under boulders, in interstices of strangler fig roots, and in underground burrows. Litters have 2-5 young.

Activity patterns. Giant Sulawesi Rats are arboreal and terrestrial. Of the hundreds of Giant Sulawesi Rats captured, most were trapped on the ground and on decaying trunks and limbs bridging streams and ravines, but a few were caught aboveground in understory on woody vines and understory trees. They can be found in understories and canopies oftrees scavenging for food. One specimen was caught in a leaf-nest on the ground. They also have been trapped in strangler figs. During the night, they have been seen moving about in crowns of understory trees, and they have been photographed climbing in tall second growth.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Habitat loss from agricultural expansion and logging is likely a major threat to the Giant Sulawesi Rat. In lowlands, much habitat has been converted to rice paddies. In some parts of its distribution, such as inthe north-east, Giant Sulawesi Rats are eaten, which seems to be a localized threat. It is one of the most captured rats in Sulawesi, together with the Common Hill Rat ( Bunomys chrysocomus) and Hoffmann’s Sulawesi Rat ( Rattus hoffmanni). It is a favorite food of mountain people of central Sulawesi.

Bibliography. Boitani et al. (2006), Fabre et al. (2013), Laurie & Hill (1954), Musser (1982a, 2014), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser & Durden (2002), Musser & Holden (1991), Musser & Newcomb (1983), Musser & Ruedas (2016a), Pangau-Adam et al. (2006), Rowe et al. (2016b), Schenk et al. (2013), Steppan & Schenk (2017).