Batomys russatus, Musser, Heaney & Tabaranza, 1998
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6887260 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6788127 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/1E30E275-341E-FFAE-E486-24C2741381EB |
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treatment provided by |
Carolina |
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scientific name |
Batomys russatus |
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Russet Hairy-tailed Rat
French: Batomys roux / German: Dinagat-Haarschwanzratte / Spanish: Rata de cola peluda rojiza
Other common names: Dinagat Hairy-tailed Rat, Russet Batomys
Taxonomy. Batomys russatus Musser, Heaney & Tabaranza, 1998 View in CoL ,
Libjo (= Albor), Plaridel Municipality, Surigao del Norte Province, Dinagat Island, Philippines.
Described on morphological grounds; no genetic data available for this species. Monotypic.
Distribution. Endemic to Dinagat I, Philippines. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 140-151 mm, tail 102-118 mm, ear 16-18 mm, hindfoot 30-31 mm; weight 115 g. The Russet Hairy-tailed Ratis the smallest and most colorful species of Batomys , with short, sleek fur. Dorsal pelage is a glossy reddish brown with slender guard hairs that barely extend past the overfur and have an unpigmented tip. Ventral pelage is bright ocherous slightly infused with the pale gray gases of the hairs. Cheeks have an ocherous tone and ventral pelage is not sharply demarcated from dorsal pelage, blending along the sides. Some specimens have white patches on the throat or pectoral and inguinal regions or an entirely white chest region. Ears are small and dark gray with scantily distributed short russet hairs and vibrissae are shorter than in the Hamiguitan Hairy-tailed Rat ( B. hamiguitan ). Tail is moderately hairy, uniformly brown, and ends with a tiny thin tuft; it is shorter (c.73-80%) than head-body length. Feet are all unpigmented white, hindfeet being moderatelylong and wide with brownish russet marking on the dorsal metatarsal surface and unpigmented digits and claws. Hypothenar pads are large relative to the size of the thaner, which is smaller in other species. Females have two pairs of mammae, both inguinal. Skullproportions are smaller than in the Luzon Cordillera Hairy-tailed Rat ( B. grantii ) and the Mindanao Hairy-tailed Rat ( B. salomonseni ), with an elongated posterior cingulum and the back of each first and second lower molar.
Habitat. Lowland tropical forest at around 350 m.
Food and Feeding. Little is known, but specimens were caught in traps bated with fried coconut coated with peanut butter.
Breeding. No information.
Activity patterns. The Russet Hairy-tailed Rat is probably terrestrial, and it has been captured on the ground.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List because it has a small distribution, within which there is important degradation ofits habitat due to mining, logging, and agriculture; hunting is also a threat. It probably occurs at very low abundances, and only three specimens are known, dating from 1972 and 1995.
Bibliography. Balete et al. (2008), Musser, Heaney & Tabaranza (1998).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
