Rattus tawitawiensis Musser & Heaney 1985

701.

Tawitawi Forest Rat

Rattus tawitawiensis

French: Rat de Tawi-Tawi / German: Tawi-Tawi-Ratte / Spanish: Rata de bosque de Tawitawi

Other common names: Tawitawi Island Rat

Taxonomy. Rattus tawitawiensis Musser & Heaney, 1985,

“Batu Batu on the southern half of Tawitawi Island, part of the Tawita- wi Island Group in the Sulu Archipelago of the Philippines.”

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. Tawitawi I, Sulu Archipelago, Philippines.

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.

Habitat. Probably dense tropical forest.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Tawitawi Forest Rat is probably terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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.

Bibliography. Gerrie & Kennerley (2016d), Heaney et al. (1998), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser & Heaney (1985).