Rattus mindorensis Thomas 1898

Rattus mindorensis Thomas 1898, Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond., 14: 402.

Type Locality: Philippines, Mindoro Isl, Mt Dulangan, 5000 ft (1524 m).

Vernacular Names: Mindoro Mountain Rat.

Synonyms: Rattus picinus (Hollister 1913) .

Distribution: Greater Mindoro Faunal Region. Endemic to highlands of Mindoro (Philippines).

Conservation: IUCN – Vulnerable.

Discussion: Rattus rattus species group. Phylogenetically distant from other species of Rattus endemic to the Philippines (Musser and Heaney, 1992). Morphologically closely related to Rattus tiomanicus, which is native to Malay Peninsula and islands on the Sunda Shelf, and possibly only an insular variant of that species (Musser and Califia, 1982; Musser and Heaney, 1985; Musser, ms). Musser (1977 b) explained why picinus is a synonym. Murine fauna on Mindoro consists of Sundaic and Philippine elements, and R. mindorensis is a member of the former (see account of Anonymomys).