Rattus arfakiensis

702.

Vogelkop Mountain Rat

Rattus arfakiensis

French: Rat des Arfak / German: Vogelkop-Ratte / Spanish: Rata de montana de Vogelkop

Other common names: Arfak Rat

Taxonomy. Stenomys niobe arfakiensis Rummler, 1935,

Arfak Mountains, 2000 m, Vogelkop [= Bird’s Head] Peninsula, Province of West Papua, West Papua (= Irian Jaya), north-western New Guinea.

Rattus arfakiensis has not been included in any phylogenetic studies, and more research is needed to understand its placement in Rattus. It was previously included in R. niobe but is recognized as a species until further research into the R. niobe species complex is conducted. Monotypic.

Distribution. Arfak Mts, Bird's Head Peninsula, New Guinea.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 133 mm, tail 135 mm, ear 20 mm, hindfoot 29 mm (from holotype). No specific data are available for body weight. The Vogelkop Mountain Rat is a very small species of Rattus, similar but larger on average to the Eastern New Guinea Mountain Rat (R. niobe). Pelage is soft and without spines. Dorsal pelage is dark gray-brown, nearly black (darker than in the Eastern New Guinea Mountain Rat). Dorsal pelage blends into ventral pelage. Venter is dark gray brown. Feet are lightly covered in silvery and brown hairs dorsally. Ears are dark brown and relatively long; vibrissae are long. Tail is about equal to head-body length, unicolored, and dark brown with shorttail hairs. It is distinguished most notably by longincisive foramina, but some specimens of other species in the R. niobe species complex have longer incisive foramina. There are three pairs of mammae: one pectoral and two inguinal pairs.

Habitat. Alpine grasslands at elevations of 2000 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List (as R. ar-Jakienis). The Vogelkop Mountain Rat is known from very few specimens in the Arfak National Reserve. More research is needed to fully understand its natural history and conservation threats.

Bibliography. Flannery (1995b), Helgen (2007a), Leary & Wright (2016a), Musser & Carleton (2005), Taylor, Calaby & Smith (1990), Taylor, Calaby & Van Deusen (1982).