Sulawesi slender rat
| Sulawesi slender rat | ||||||||||||
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Sulawesi slender rat ( Gracilimus radix ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Gracilimus | ||||||||||||
| Rowe, Achmadi & Esselstyn, 2016 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Gracilimus radix | ||||||||||||
| Rowe , Achmadi & Esselstyn , 2016 |
The Sulawesi slender rat ( Gracilimus radix ) is a small rodent from the family of long-tailed mice (Muridae) that occurs on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi . So far it is only known from its type locality . It is located at an altitude of 1,600 meters on the slope of Mt. Gandangdewata in a previously untouched rainforest in the administrative district of Mamasa in West Sulawesi . Gracilimus radix is the only species of the genus Gracilimus, which is monotypical . Genus and species were only in April 2016 described . The scientific generic name is made up of the word 'gracilis' (= slim, thin) and the word for mouse ('mus') and indicates the smallness of the species. The species epithet radix (= root) refers to the local population, who in their language refer to the animal as 'root rat' because it is seen mainly between tree roots.
features
The Sulawesi slender rat looks like a young rat. Compared to other Sulawesi shrew rats, this species is relatively small, has a leaner body and a rounder face. The head-trunk length is 108 to 125 mm, the tail length 161 to 163 mm, the ear length 13 to 14 mm, the hind foot length 28 to 30 mm and the weight 34 to 45 g. The ears are round, the vibrissae are long (approx. 50 mm) and thin. The tail is long (approx. 130% of the head-trunk length ) and only sparsely hairy. The skull is delicate with a pronounced tear bone , the muzzle is short. The fur of the Sulawesi slender rat is soft and brownish-gray in color. The back hairs are 5 to 8 mm long, gray at the base, brown in the middle and light at the tip. The enamel is bright orange on the side facing the lips.
In contrast to the purely carnivorous other Sulawesian shrew rats, Gracilimus radix eats both small animals and vegetable food. Stomach examinations revealed remains of cockroaches and plant remains .
Systematics
The Sulawesi slender rat belongs to a group of ommivorous old world mice ( Echiothrix group) endemic to Sulawesi and is the sister species of Waiomys mamasae , which was first described in 2014.
literature
- Kevin C. Rowe, Anang S. Achmadi and Jacob A. Esselstyn: A New Genus and Species of Omnivorous Rodent (Muridae: Murinae) from Sulawesi, nested within A Clade of Endemic Carnivores. Journal of Mammalogy, 2016. DOI: 10.1093 / JMammal / gyw029