Rattus salocco Tate and Archbold 1935

Rattus salocco Tate and Archbold 1935, Am. Mus . Novit., 802: 7.

Type Locality: Indonesia, SE peninsula of Sulawesi, Pegunungan Mekongga (= Mengkoka), Tanke Salokko (highest point on Pengunungan), 03 o 35'S / 121 o 15'E, 1500 m .

Vernacular Names: Southeastern Xanthurus Rat.

Synonyms: Rattus orientalis (Revilliod 1911) .

Distribution: SE Peninsula; recorded from Tanke Salokko and in lowlands at Mowewe (03 o 57'S / 121 o 43'E), 300 m.

Discussion: Rattus xanthurus species group. Described as a species by Tate and Archbold, but subsequently usually included in R. xanthurus (e. g., Musser and Carleton, 1993). Musser (ms) demonstrated that the species is most closely related to R. marmosurus of C and N Sulawesi, and documented the synonymy of orientalis . See account of Taeromys arcuatus for information on the biogeographic pattern exhibited by this and other species pairs on Sulawesi.