Rattus tawitawiensis Musser & Heaney 1985
- Dataset
- Muridae
- Rank
- SPECIES
Classification
- kingdom
- Animalia
- phylum
- Chordata
- class
- Mammalia
- order
- Rodentia
- family
- Muridae
- genus
- Rattus
- species
- Rattus tawitawiensis
activity
Activity patterns. The Tawitawi Forest Rat is probably terrestrial.
biology_ecology
Habitat. Probably dense tropical forest.
biology_ecology
Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.
breeding
Breeding. No information.
conservation
Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Tawitawi Forest Rat is only known from three specimens, and virtually nothing is known of its natural history, taxonomy, or conservation threats. It might be threatened by deforestation, political turmoil, and illegal logging.
description
Descriptive notes. Head-body 160 - 208 mm, tail 146 - 180 mm, hindfoot 39 - 42 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Tawitawi Forest Rat is medium-sized, with soft, short, thin, and sleek pelage; translucent, soft, and flexible spines; and black guard hairs throughout. Dorsum is rich dark brown, speckled buff and slightly lighter on sides due to suffusion of gray. Hairs are dark brown or black, although some have buff banding around tips that cause speckling. Venteris grayish, tinged with silver and buff, and hairs have gray bases and translucent or buff tips. Rusty patch occurs on chest, chest to chin, or chest and throat. Feet are dark brown dorsally and ventrally on hindfeet and light brown ventrally on forefoot. Ears are small and similar in color to dorsum. Tail ¢. 87 % of head-body length and unicolored dark brown. Skull has generally large, wide, deep, and chunky cranium. There are four pairs of mammae: one post-axillary, one abdominal, and two inguinally.
discussion
Phylogenetic position of R. tawitawiensis in Rattus is unresolved. Morphologically, it is somewhat similar to R. hoffmannri, R. palmarum, R. burrus, R. simalurensis, and R. lugens, although more research is needed to deter mine their true relationships. Monotypic.
distribution
Distribution. Tawitawi I, Sulu Archipelago, Philippines.
food_feeding
Food and Feeding. No information.
materials_examined
“ Batu Batu on the southern half of Tawitawi Island, part of the Tawita- wi Island Group in the Sulu Archipelago of the Philippines. ”
Name
- Homonyms
- Rattus tawitawiensis Musser & Heaney 1985
- Common names
- Rat de Tawi-Tawi in Francês
- Rata de bosque de Tawitawi in language.
- Tawi-Tawi-Ratte in Alemão
- Tawitawi Forest Rat in Inglês
- Tawitawi Island Rat in Inglês