008.

Sr 1 Lankan Mountain Rat

Rattus montanus

French: Rat du Sri Lanka / German: Sri-Lanka-Ratte / Spanish: Rata de montana de Sri Lanka

Other common names: Jungle Rat, Nellu Rat, Nillu Rat

Taxonomy. Rattus montanus W. W. A. Phillips, 1932,

Ohiya, 6000 ft (= 1830 m), West Haputale, Sri Lanka.

Relationship of R. montanus in Rattus is uncertain and requires genetic research. Monotypic.

Distribution. C Sri Lanka.

Descriptive notes. Male: head-body 171 mm, tail 208 mm, ear 21-5 mm, hindfoot 33 mm (averages); female: head—body 160 mm, tail 228 mm, ear 21 mm, hindfoot 34 mm (one specimen). No specific data are available for body weight. Males appear to be larger than females. The Sri Lankan Mountain Rat is large and distinctive, with long, soft, and dense pelage. Dorsum is dark gray brown, with rufous tinge, being more rufous on sides and darker with brown-tipped hairs and lead graybases along spine. Dorsal pelage blends into ventral pelage. Venter is light hoary steel gray, with bluish gray hairs with white tips. Chin and upper throat are pure white; sides of face are light gray. Feet are light gray brown, nearly white on toes of hindfeet and inner surfaces of forefeet. Ears are dusky; vibrissae are long and black. Tail is ¢.122-143% of head-body length and unicolored dusky blackish brown, with dusky hairs sparsely covering it.

Habitat. Tropical evergreen montane forest and wet grasslands.

Food and Feeding. The Sri Lankan Mountain Rat is known to eat seeds of Strobilanthes sp. (Acanthaceae), and its populations may fluctuate based on the plant’s abundance.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Sri Lankan Mountain Ratis terrestrial, diurnal, and crepuscular.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. Habitat loss and degradation due to agricultural expansion,fire, and cutting of forests seem to be

the major threats. Sri Lankan Mountain Rats occur in Horton Plains National Park and Knuckles Forest Reserve. Additional research is needed to fully understand its natural history, taxonomy, and conservation threats.

Bibliography. Corbet & Hill (1992), Ellerman & Morrison-Scott (1951), Goonatilake & Molur (2008), Molur et al. (2005), Musser & Carleton (2005), Phillips (1935, 1980).