Apomys gracilirostris Ruedas 1995

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Muridae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 1189-1531 : 1281

Apomys gracilirostris Ruedas 1995

Apomys gracilirostris Ruedas 1995 , Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 108: 305.

Type Locality: Philippines, Mindoro Isl, Mindoro Occidental Province, Municipality of San Teodoro, North Ridge approach to Mt Halcon, 1580 m, 13°16'48"N, 121°59'19"E.

Vernacular Names: Large Mindoro Apomys.

Distribution: Greater Mindoro Faunal Region. A Mindoro endemic recorded only from montane forest on northern flank of Mt Halcon between 1250 and 1950 m, but may occur throughout the Mindoran highlands still covered by mountain forest ( Ruedas, 1995).

Conservation: IUCN – Vulnerable.

Discussion: Apomys datae Group. In morphology of rostrum and incisors, A. gracilirostris is unique among species of Apomys , but phylogenetic analysis of mtDNA cytochrome b sequences placed it with the Luzon A. datae ( Steppan et al., 2003) . Large body size, long rostrum relative to rest of cranium, and primitive pattern of cephalic arterial supply also tie A. gracilirostris to A. datae ( Ruedas, 1995; Musser’s study of the Mindoran specimens). Presence of A. gracilirostris on Mindanao likely reflects dispersal to that island, probably from an ancestral stock on Luzon ( Steppan et al., 2003). Discovery of A. gracilirostris accentuates the dual biogeographic nature of Mindoro’s murine fauna: Chrotomys mindorensis , Apomys musculus , A. gracilirostris , and Rattus everetti have Philippine affinities; Rattus mindorensis , an undescribed species of Maxomys (specimens examined by Musser), and Anonymomys mindorensis are related to Indochinese and Sundaic faunas.