Carpomys melanurus, Thomas, 1895

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 : 657-658

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6887260

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6788131

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/1E30E275-341F-FFAD-E467-2B3075DC827B

treatment provided by

Carolina

scientific name

Carpomys melanurus
status

 

176. View Plate 38: Muridae

Black-tailed Dwarf Cloud Rat

Carpomys melanurus View in CoL

French: Carpomys a queue noire / German: Schwarzschwanz-Zwergborkenratte / Spanish: Rata enana de cola negra

Other common names: Large Luzon Carpomys, Short-footed Luzon Tree Rat

Taxonomy. Carpomys melanurus Thomas, 1895 View in CoL ,

Mt. Data, [Luzon Island, Philippines.

Not included in any recent taxonomic studies. It is suggested to be close to Musseromys and its relatives. Monotypic.

Distribution. N Luzon I (Mt Data and Mt Pulag), Philippines. View Figure

Descriptive notes. Head-body 180-184 mm, tail 180-183 mm, ear 20 mm, hindfoot 32-34 mm; weight 165 g. The Black-tailed Dwarf Cloud Rat is a small rat

with a broad, blunt head and soft, fluffy, and thick fur and being larger than the Browntailed Dwarf Cloud Rat ( C. phaeurus ). Dorsal pelage is dark brown with coarse black lining throughout and is well demarcated from ventral pelage with some shading between them. Head is a lighter brown. Ventral pelage is nearly white, being slightly yellowish with a slate gray base to the hairs. There is a dark ring of fur surrounding the eye that gives a masked appearance. Feet are broad with white digits and a silvery brown stripe down the dorsal surface of the hindfeet. Ears are relatively short, rounded, and a lighter brown. Tail is long (c.100% of head-body length), hairy, and a dark brownishblack coloration, being more hairy than the Brown-tailed Dwarf Cloud Rat and having the dorsal pelage extend over the base ofthe tail. Skull is robust with a rounded braincase and flat face, being larger with larger molars and incisors when compared to the Brown-tailed Dwarf Cloud Rat. Females have two pairs of mammae, both of which are inguinal, and an elongated urinary papilla that looks similar to a penis sheath.

Habitat. Mossy forest around elevations of 2200-2300 m.

Food and Feeding. The Black-tailed Dwarf Cloud Rat probably feeds on seeds.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Black-tailed Dwarf Cloud Rats are probably nocturnal and arboreal. Mount Pulag specimens were captured in traps on top of moss-covered branches c.4 m above the ground with well worn trails. This indicates that they repetitively use trails to move through trees.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Until recently, the Black-tailed Dwarf Cloud Rat was known from only two specimens from Mount Data (the type series), but a new specimen was collected from Mount Pulag in 2008. The species was not recorded in recent surveys on Mount Data, which may indicate thatit has become locally extinct in that region.

Bibliography. Heaney, Balete, Dolar et al. (1998), Heaney, Balete & Rickart (2016), Kennerley (2016j), Largen (1985), Rickart et al. (2016), Thomas (1898b).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Rodentia

Family

Muridae

Genus

Carpomys

Loc

Carpomys melanurus

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

Carpomys melanurus

Thomas 1895
1895
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