Rhizomys sumatrensis, Raffles, 1821

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Spalacidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 108-142 : 135-136

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6609100

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6608866

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03AE87DD-FF9A-BD17-FAE4-F65BFE99FB2D

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Rhizomys sumatrensis
status

 

14. View Plate 5: Spalacidae

Indomalayan Bamboo Rat

Rhizomys sumatrensis View in CoL

French: Rhizomys de Sumatra / German: Grof 3e Bambusratte / Spanish: Rata de bambu de Indomalasia

Other common names: Large Bamboo Rat, Sumatran Bamboo Rat

Taxonomy. Mus sumatrensis Raffles, 1821 ,

Malacca , Malaysia.

Classically treated as a member of the subgenus Nyctocleptes , but R. Lopez-Antonanzas and colleagues in 2013 showed that extant species of Rhizomys are very closely related with respect to known fossil taxa. Distributions of subspecies are poorly delineated, and multiple species may be present. Four subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

R.s.sumatrensisRaffles,1821—SMalayPeninsulaSofSeberangPerai(Malaysia).

R.s.cinereusMcClelland,1841—EMyanmar,SYunnan(SWChina),Thailand,Laos,Vietnam,WCambodia,andMalayPeninsulaStoPahang(Malaysia).

R.s.insularisThomas,1915—NESumatra.

R. s. padangensis Brongersma, 1936 — Sumatra. View Figure

Descriptive notes. Head-body 260-480 mm, tail 100-200 mm; weight 2.1-4 kg. The Indomalayan Bamboo Ratis large, with light brown, shaggy pelage. Top of head and cheeks are reddish; belly is lighter and sparsely haired enough that bare skin can be seen between hairs. Tail is hairless and has pink tip. Upper incisors are extrabuccal, orange, and slightly proodont. Unlike other species of Rhizomyini, two posterior toe pads on hindfeet fuse into single pad in adults. There are ten nipples: 2 pairs of pectoral + 3 pairs of inguinal. Diploid number is 2n = 50.

Habitat. Bamboo thickets at elevations of 1000-4000 m. The Indomalayan Bamboo Rat is moderately tolerant of human disturbance.

Food and Feeding. The Indomalayan Bamboo Rat feeds primarily on bamboo, but it may eat roots of other plants or crops such as tapioca and sugarcane.

Breeding. Most reproductive activity of the Indomalayan Bamboo Rat occurs in February—April or August—-October. After gestation of 22 days, 3-5 young are born. It lives c.4 years.

Activity patterns. The Indomalayan Bamboo Rat is nocturnal. It emerges from its burrow to feed and is known to climb bamboo.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Burrows of Indomalayan Bamboo Rats are up to 9 m long and 1 m deep and are constructed in soft soil. One to six entrances are marked with large mounds.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List and the 2016 China Red List. The Indomalayan Bamboo Rat is known from several protected areas and can be common, but it may be in decline in some areas such as parts of southern Myanmar. It is hunted for food and is a crop pest.

Bibliography. Allen (1940), Aplin & Lunde (2008a), Brongersma (1936), Corbet & Hill (1992), Ellerman & Morrison-Scott (1951), Jiang Zhigang et al. (2016), Lopez-Antonanzas et al. (2013), Musser & Carleton (2005), Smith (2008).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Rodentia

Family

Spalacidae

Genus

Rhizomys

Loc

Rhizomys sumatrensis

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr 2017
2017
Loc

Mus sumatrensis

Raffles 1821
1821
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