Berylmys bowersii (J. Anderson, 1879)

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Muridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 536-884 : 819

637.

Bowers’s White-toothed Rat

Berylmys bowersii

French: Rat de Bowers / German: Bowers-\ Weil 3 zahnratte / Spanish: Rata de dientes blancos de Bowers

Other common names: Bowers's Berylmys, Bowers's Rat

Taxonomy. Mus bowersii J. Anderson, 1879

, Hotha, 1370 m, Kakhyen Hills, Yunnan Province, China.

Polytypic, but number, diagnoses, and ranges of subspecies require review.

Distribution. NE India, Myanmar, SC & SE China, Thailand, N Laos, N & S Vietnam, NE Sumatra, and Malay Peninsula.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 228-300 mm,tail 240-310 mm, ear 27-37 mm, hindfoot 52-61 mm; weight 270-650 g. Bowers’s White-toothed Ratis large; tail is equal to or longer than head-body length and white-tipped along one-half to two-thirds ofits length in some populations; pelage is brownish gray, with white underparts (typical of most species of Berylmys ); hindfeet are dark above; skull is proportionally large, with distinctive small tympanic bullae; upper incisor are orthodont; tympanic bulla is small compared with skull length; bulla is not inflated; incisors are less proodont, and frequency of antero-labial cusps is smaller on M, than in other species of Berylmys . There are eight pairs of mammae: one pecto-

ral, one post-axillary, and two inguinal pairs.

Habitat. Various primary and secondary forests and plantations at elevations of 150— 2621 m. In temperate South-east Asia, Bowers’s White-toothed Rat occurs in subtropical montane forests. It is more common in primary forest and seems to be equally

abundant in dry and wet habitats. Food and Feeding. Based on stomach contents, Bowers’s White-toothed Rat seems to eat plants and some invertebrate (e.g. snails, slugs, and insects). Fish scales also

reported for one individual.

Breeding. Litters have 2-5 young (mean four). Activity patterns. Bowers’s White-toothed Rat is terrestrial and nocturnal. It is found in burrows and seems to be the least arboreal species of Berylmys . Nesting sites were found

on the ground, in riverbank cavities, along forest streams, close to rock crevices, near fallen logs, and in holes at bases of trees. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Highest densities occur in primary

habitats. Bowers’s White-toothed Rats live for ¢.6 months in the wild. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List (as B. bowersi ). Bowers’s White-toothed Rat has a wide distribution, associated with diverse forested habitats.

Bibliography. Agrawal (2000), Corbet & Hill (1992), Dang Huy Huynh et al. (1994), Dunn et al. (1968), Har- rison (1954a, 1955, 1969), Lim (1970), Liu Chunsheng et al. (1985), Medway (1969), Medway & Wells (1971), Musser & Newcomb (1983), Rudd (1966b).

Figures

Distribution. NE India, Myanmar, SC & SE China, Thailand, N Laos, N & S Vietnam, NE Sumatra, and Malay Peninsula.