Rattus pelurus Sody 1941

Rattus pelurus Sody 1941, Treubia, 18: 308.

Type Locality: Indonesia, Kepulauan Banggai, Pulau Peleng (1°23'S, 123°14'E), east of Sulawesi.

Vernacular Names: Peleng Island Xanthurus Rat.

Distribution: Known only from Peleng Isl.

Conservation: IUCN – Vulnerable.

Discussion: Rattus xanthurus species group. Originally described by Sody as a subspecies of R. foramineus, but provisionally treated as an insular population of R. xanthurus by Musser (1984), and finally reviewed as a distinctive species by Musser and Holden (1991), who also placed it in the R. xanthurus group. Recent morphometric analyses corroborated the separation of pelurus as a different species from mainland R. xanthurus (Musser, ms).