Rattus losea (Swinhoe, 1871) . Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1870:637 (1871).

TYPE LOCALITY: Taiwan .

DISTRIBUTION: Recorded from Taiwan, Pescadores Isis, S China (Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Hainan Isl), C Vietnam, S Laos, and Thailand (excluding peninsular Thailand); probably will also be found in Cambodia, N Laos and Vietnam, and parts of Burma borderingThailand (Musser and Newcomb, 1985).

SYNONYMS: exiguus, sakeratensis .

COMMENTS: Known morphological, geographical, and altitudinal boundaries; correctly and incorrectly assoicated scientific names; and geographic variation reviewed by Musser and Newcomb (1985). They also suggested that R. losea is morphologically and probably phylogenetically nearer R. osgoodi from the highlands of S Vietnam than any other species of Rattus, and speculated that R. losea is also phylogenetically linked to R. argentiventer .