Maxomys wattsi, Musser, 1991

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Muridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 536-884 : 863

756.

Watts’s Sulawesi Spiny Rat

Maxomys wattsi

French: Maxomys de Watts / German: \ Watts-Rajah-Ratte / Spanish: Rata espinosa de Watts

Other common names: \ Watts's Spiny Rat, Watts's Sulawesi Maxomys

Taxonomy. Maxomys wattsi Musser, 1991 ,

“Tambusisi Damar, on the slopes of Gunung Tambusisi (1°38’S, 121°23’E), 4700 ft [= 1433 m], in central Sulawesi,” Indonesia .

Maxomys wattsi is morphologically distinctive compared with all other species of Maxomys and is probably most closely related to M. musschenbroekii ; genetic studies are needed to confirm this. Monotypic.

Distribution. Mt Tambusisi, EC Sulawesi.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 164-185 mm, tail 125-154 mm, ear 20-25 mm, hindfoot 35-38 mm; weight 110-130 g. Watts’s Sulawesi Spiny Rat is medium-sized and distinctive, with very long, dense, and soft pelage. Dorsum is brownish buff overall, darker brown along back and rump and lighter grayish brown on sides, with gray underfur, gray-based dark brown or blacktipped normal hairs, and dark guard hairs that are similar to normal hairs. Venter is grayish white due to gray underfur and whiteor silvery tipped hairs and is not sharply demarcated from dorsum. Juveniles are very dark blackish brown, fading through gray to white ventrally; they are not identifiable to the species level. Feet are unpigmented on forefeet and white in hindfeet, which are long and narrow.

Claws are ivory-colored, long, and sharp. Ears are rounded; vibrissae are long and black. Tail is ¢.79% of head-body length and bicolored, brown above and white with brown speckling below. Rostrum is narrow. The flea genus Gymnomeropsylla has been recorded from Watts’s Sulawesi Spiny Rat.

Habitat. Upper and lower montane forests at elevations of 1430-1830 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Watts’s Sulawesi Spiny Rat is nocturnal and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. Watts’s Sulawesi Spiny Rat has a very restricted distribution in Morowali Nature Reserve, and it isprobably threatened by logging and agricultural expansion. Additional research is needed to fully understand its natural history, taxonomy, and threats.

Bibliography. Achmadi et al. (2013), Clayton (20160), Durden & Beaucournu (2002), Musser (1991, 2014), Musser & Carleton (2005), Steppan & Schenk (2017).

Figures

Distribution. Mt Tambusisi, EC Sulawesi.