Spiny Seram Island Rat

diagnosis

Emended diagnosis. Rattus feliceus is a large-bodied rat with spiny, reddish-brown fur over the upperparts and softer white fur covering the belly; the dorsal fur contrasts sharply with the white ventral fur (Fig. 5). The mammae formula (given in pairs plus total number) is: 1 pectoral, 1 post-axillary, 0 abdominal and 2 inguinal (1 + 1 + 0 + 2 = 8). This Rattus species is characterized by the following features: (1) a single-coloured pale brown tail shorter than the head-body length (TL / HB = 68 – 91 %; see also Table 2 and Fig. 5), (2) slender and elongated hind feet, but of medium length compared to the head-body length, (3) a moderately long and broad rostrum, (4) prominent temporal, interorbital and post-orbital ridges (Fig. 6), (5) the palatal bridge protruding well beyond M 3 to form a moderately large bony shelf (Fig. 7), (6) a wide and deep zygomatic notch and a wide zygomatic plate, (7) viewed laterally, the upper edge of the skull is almost flat between the nasals and the occiput, (8) the eustachian tube is shorter and narrower than in R. ceramicus, (9) the angular process of the dentary is broad, (10) the large incisors are opisthodont, (11) the incisor blade is broad,

Review of Moluccan Rattus (Rodentia: Muridae) with Description of Four New Species

distribution

Distribution. Rattus feliceus is found from lowland to highland contexts (0 – 2000 m) at several localities on Seram, and may be widespread on the island.

Review of Moluccan Rattus (Rodentia: Muridae) with Description of Four New Species

materials_examined

Type material studied. The type specimen (NHMUK ZD 1920.7.26.7) is an adult female collected at 6000 feet (1830 m) on Gunung Manusela, Seram Island, South Maluku (Figs 5 – 10). This specimen was caught by the Pratt brothers in February 1920 and described by Oldfield Thomas in the same year (Thomas, 1920). Four other specimens were collected by the Pratt brothers between 1200 m and 1830 m (NHMUK ZD 1920.7.26.4 – 6 and NHMUK ZD 1920.7.26.8). The zoological expedition to Seram that produced the original specimens was undertaken by three of the four sons of the Victorian naturalist A. E. Pratt from late 1919 to early 1920. Oldfield Thomas (1920) remembered Felix Pratt, for whom he named “ this fine species. ” The label states that it was collected “ in heavy jungle in precipitous limestone country. ” All of these specimens are held by the Natural History Museum, London (NHMUK). Referred specimens. Three adult females and one subadult male were captured by an Australian Museum field team in 1993 between 300 and 400 m (Flannery, 1995; Helgen, 2003). An additional specimen from Gunung Manusela was collected more recently by Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense ornithologists (MZB 22684).

Review of Moluccan Rattus (Rodentia: Muridae) with Description of Four New Species

discussion

Discussion: Rattus leucopus species group. Amplified description and comparison with R. koopmani from Peleng Isl provided by Musser and Holden (1991), who also discussed past subspecific allocations of feliceus to other species of Rattus. Phylogenetic affinities of R. feliceus are probably with species of Rattus endemic to New Guinea region (Musser and Holden, 1991), an alliance based upon morphology that should be tested with molecular data. Reviewed by Flannery (1995 b) and Helgen (2003 b).

Order Rodentia - Family Muridae