Pseudohydromys fuscus Laurie 1952

Pseudohydromys fuscus Laurie 1952, Bull. Brit. Mus . (Nat. Hist.) Zool., 1: 311.

Type Locality: Papua New Guinea, Chimbu Province, N slopes Mt. Wilhelm, 9000- 10,000 ft (2744-3048 m).

Vernacular Names: Mottled-tailed Shrew Mouse.

Distribution: Papua New Guinea: Known from Lake Louise (Sandaun Province), Mt Erimbari and Mt Wilhelm (Chimbu Province), and Mt Kaindi (Morobe Province) above 2400 m (Flannery, 1995 a, as Neohydromys).

Conservation: IUCN – Vulnerable as Neohydromys fuscus .

Discussion: Type species of Neohydromys . The little information about habitat and diet is reviewed by Flannery (1995 a). Except for its smaller molars (relative to cranial size) and slightly proodont upper incisors, P. fuscus closely resembles P. murinus in pelage coloration and texture, body size, and craniodental traits (Musser’s observations). Pseudohydromys fuscus, along with P. murinus, are known only from the eastern Central Cordillera of New Guinea.