Rattus koopmani Musser and Holden 1991

Rattus koopmani Musser and Holden 1991, Bull. Am. Mus . Nat. Hist., 206: 389.

Type Locality: Indonesia, Kepulauan Banggai, Pulau Peleng (1°23'S, 123°14'E), which is separated from mainland Sulawesi by deepwater Selat Peleng.

Vernacular Names: Koopman's Peleng Island Rat.

Distribution: Known only from Peleng Isl.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (nt).

Discussion: Rattus rattus species group. Represented only by the holotype. In many characters, R. koopmani resembles the Sulawesian R. hoffmanni and bears the same degree of relationship to that species as the Peleng R. pelurus does to mainland R. xanthurus . More specimens are needed to assess morphological variation and better estimate phylogenetic affinity (Musser and Holden, 1991). Occurs with R. pelurus, a member of the R. xanthurus group; no other species of Rattus have been found on Pulau Peleng, but past biological surveys have been limited.