Platacanthomys lasiurus Blyth 1859

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Platacanthomyidae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 905-906 : 906

Platacanthomys lasiurus Blyth 1859

Platacanthomys lasiurus Blyth 1859 , J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 28: 289.

Type Locality: India, Kerala State, Malabar, Alipi.

Vernacular Names: Spiny Tree Mouse.

Distribution: Forests below 3000 ft (914 m) in SW Peninsular India to 14°north latitude (Kerala and Karnataka states; Agrawal, 2000).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Known by few museum specimens but apparently common in the right habitats. Peters (1865) redescribed the species in some detail; Ellerman (1961) also furnished an informative description, excellent cranial illustrations, and measurements of BMNH specimens. Reviewed by Agrawal (2000), who still regarded the species as "a specialised and aberrant arboreal dormouse." Jayson and Christopher (1995) encountered P. lasiurus in the Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats in Kerala State, and provided what little ecological information is known.