379.

Burmese Soft-furred Rat

Millardia kathleenae

French: Rat de Ryley / German: Burma-Weichfellratte / Spanish: Rata de pelaje suave de Birmania

Other common names: Burmese Metad, Miss Ryley’s Soft-furred Rat, Popa Soft-furred Rat

Taxonomy. Millardia kathleenae Thomas, 1914,

“Pagan,” Burma (= Myanmar).

Separated in genus Guya by O. Thomas in 1917, and subsequently under another new genus name, Millardomys, by H. |. V. Sody in 1941; however, this generic isolation was not followed by X. Misonne in 1969 or V. C. Agrawal in 2000, who both retained the species in Millardia . Monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to C Myanmar.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 130-165 mm, tail 120-155 mm, ear 20-23 mm, hindfoot 25-30 mm; weight 98-110 g. TheBurmese Soft-furred Rat bears a light brown to grayish dorsal pelage and a white or pale gray ventral one. Tail is bicolored and may have a whitetip. Tail is shorter (90-95%) than head-body length. There are very large tympanic bullae representing about 20% of the length of the skull. Females bear three pairs of mammae. Chromosomal complementis 2n = 36, FN = 36.

Habitat. Sandy plains with degraded, scrubby vegetation in central dry region of Myanmar.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Burmese Soft-furred Rats are terrestrial, nocturnal, and probably fossorial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Agrawal (2000), Corbet & Hill (1992), Ellerman (1961), Francis (2008), Misonne (1969), Sody (1941), Thomas (1917e).