170.

Large-toothed Hairy-tailed Rat

Batomys dentatus

French: Batomys du Benguet / German: GroRRzahnige Haarschwanzratte / Spanish: Rata de cola peluda de dientes grandes

Other common names: Large-toothed Batomys

Taxonomy. Batomys dentatus G. S. Miller, 1910,

Haights-in-the-Oaks, Mountain Province, Luzon Island, Philippines.

In 1998, G. G.Musser and colleagues listed clear morpho-anatomical differences from other congeners; there are no genetic data available. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality on N Luzon I, Philippines.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 195 mm, tail 185 mm, hindfoot 36 mm. No specific data are available for ear size or body weight. The Large-toothed Hairy-tailed Rat is the largest member of Batomys . Fur is long, dense, and slightly woolly; it is dark brown dorsally and is a paler buff ventrally. Vibrissae are unusually long for the genus, extending well beyond the ears. Tail is hairy and slightly shorter than head-body length (c.95%); bicolored with the anterior two-thirds dark brown and the last third white. There is a narrow ring of bare skin around the eye. On the skull, the molars are very large and horizontal tl cusp on M'.

Habitat. Probably mossy oak forest at around 2134 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Largetoothed Hairy-tailed Rat is known from a single adult male. Focused surveys of the Central Cordillera, where this species was found, are needed.

Bibliography. Heaney, Balete & Rickart (2016), Musser, Heaney & Tabaranza (1998).