Rattus simalurensis Miller 1903

Rattus simalurensis Miller 1903, Proc. U. S. Natl. Mus ., 26: 458.

Type Locality: Indonesia, Sumatra, Pulau Simeulue (Simalur).

Vernacular Names: Simalur Archipelago Rat.

Synonyms: Rattus babi Lyon 1916; Rattus lasiae Lyon 1916 .

Distribution: Simalur Isl and nearby islands of Siumat, Lasia, and Babi.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Rattus rattus species group. The form simalurensis and its two synonyms were each listed as a separate subspecies of R. rattus by Chasen (1940), but simalurensis is distinct from R. rattus and in morphology represents larger-bodied island variants of R. tiomanicus (Musser, 1986; Musser and Califia, 1982; Musser and Heaney, 1985); simalurensis, babi, and lasiae were included in R. tiomanicus by Corbet and Hill (1992). Whether populations on the Simalur islands are distinct species or insular representatives of R. tiomanicus that occur off the margin of the continental shelf will have to be determined by systematic revision of the R. tiomanicus complex. Recent morphometric analyses indicate R. simalurensis to be more closely tied to R. burrus (Nicobar Isls), R. lugens (Mentawai Arch.), and R. adustus (Pulau Enggano) than to R. tiomanicus (Musser, ms).