Northern Luzon giant cloud rat

Northern Luzon giant cloud rat
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Rodentia
Family:Muridae
Genus:Phloeomys
Species: P. pallidus
Binomial name
Phloeomys pallidus
Nehring, 1890

The northern Luzon giant cloud rat (Phloeomys pallidus) is a large species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is only found in Luzon, the Philippines.[1]

Appearance

This very large rodent weighs 1.9–2.6 kg (4.2–5.7 lb) and is 75–77 cm (29.5–30.5 in) long.[2] The colour of its relatively long pelage, which also covers the tail, is highly variable, but usually it is mostly very pale grey-brown or white with some dark brown or black patches.[2] They often have a black mask and collar, but can also be entirely white.[2][3] The northern Luzon giant cloud rat has a slender tail, while the southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat, the only other species in the genus Phloeomys, has a bushy tail.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The northern Luzon giant cloud rat is only found in northern and central part of Luzon, the Philippines.[1] It is found in at least 12 provinces.[3] The northern Luzon giant cloud rat prefers forest and scrub, but also occurs in degraded habitats such as plantations.[1] It occurs from sea level to an altitude of about 2,200 metres (7,200 ft).[2] In some areas it overlaps with the rarer giant bushy-tailed cloud rat, but that species mainly occurs at higher altitudes than the northern Luzon giant cloud rat.[2]

Behavior

The northern Luzon giant cloud rat is nocturnal and feeds on various types of vegetation.[2] Because of its relatively large size, it does not enter traditional small-mammal traps and this has limited research in the species.[4]

Reproduction

Northern Luzon giant cloud rats often live in pairs with one or two dependent young.[3] They give birth in hollow boles of trees (standing or fallen) or in burrows in the ground.[3] The sperm head of northern Luzon giant cloud rat has a short apical hook, with the sperm tail attached off-center basally.[5] The tail of the sperm is about 127 µm long.[5]

Conservation status

The northern Luzon giant cloud rat can cause extensive damage to rice crops and are sometimes considered a pest.[6] They are regularly hunted for food in the Sierra Madre.[7] It has been extirpated from some regions because of hunting,[2] but overall it appears to be able to withstand hunting pressure and in general it remains common and widespread.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Heaney, L.; Balete, D.; Rosell-Ambal, G.; Tabaranza, B.; Ong, P.; Ruedas, L. & Oliver, W. (2008). "Phloeomys pallidus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Phloeomys pallidus". Field Museum of Natural History, Synopsis of Philippine Mammals. 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Oliver; et al. (1993). "Cloud rats in the Philippines--preliminary report on distribution and status". Oryx. 27: 41–48. doi:10.1017/s0030605300023942.
  4. ↑ Duya; et al. (2011). "Chapter 4: Diversity of Small Mammals in Montane and Mossy Forests on Mount Cetaceo, Cagayan Province, Luzon". Fieldiana: Live and Earth Sciences. 2: 88–95. doi:10.3158/2158-5520-2.1.88.
  5. 1 2 Breed; et al. (2010). "The spermatozoon of the Old Endemic Australo-Papuan and Philippine rodents--its morphological diversity and evolution". Acta Zoologica. 91: 279–294. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6395.2009.00407.x.
  6. ↑ Singleton; Ravindra & Sebastian (2008). Philippine Rats: ecology and management. PhilRice.
  7. ↑ Duya; et al. (2007). "Report on a Survey of Mammals of the Sierra Madre Rance, Luzon Island, Philippines". Banwa. 4: 41–68.
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