Melomys lutillus

272.

Papua Grassland Mosaic-tailed Rat

Melomys lutillus

French: Petit Mélomys / German: Neuguinea-Grasland-Mosaikschwanzratte / Spanish: Rata de cola moteada de pradera de Papua

Other common names: Grassland Melomys, Papua Grassland Melomys

Taxonomy. Uromys lutillus Thomas, 1913,

“Owgarra, Angabunga Rl[iver]., S.E. Brit-ish New Guinea [= Papua New Guinea].”

Initially described as a member of Uromys, M. lutillus was classified in subgenus Melo- mys by H. Rimmler in 1936. G. H. H. Tate in 1951 found it to differ from the M. rufescens group. T. F. Flannery in 1995 and J. I. Menzies in 1996 considered M. burton: and M. lutillus to be conspecific, but G. G. Musser and M. D. Carleton in 2005 re-

tained them as two distinct species. In a first molecular study, in 2011, L. M. Bryant and coworkers found M. lutillus and M. burtoni to be in the same clade, but with M. lutillus a species complex. P. H. Fabre and team in 2017 found different lineages of M. lutillus in a large M. burtoni clade, but did not reach any conclusions regarding its taxonomy. Monotypic.

Distribution. N, C & SE New Guinea.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 90-115 mm, tail 113-120, ear 14-16 mm, hindfeet 23— 26 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Papua Grassland Mosaictailed Rat, one of the smallest Melomys, is characterized by a soft yellowish-brown dorsal pelage, darker on back owing to presence of numerous black-tipped guard hairs, and either a pure white or a buff ventral one. Tail is dark above and light below, with three hairs per tail scale; tail is equal to orslightly longer than head-body length. Females have two pairs of mammae.

Habitat. Always found in grassland habitats, and may occur also in abandoned, and other disturbed, areas. Elevational range from sea level to 2200 m and possibly higher.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Mean litter size is 2-2.

Activity patterns. The Papua Grassland Mosaic-tailed Rat makes nests on the ground in clumps of grass, and is scansorial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Papua Grassland Mosaic-tailed Rat is quite common throughout its range.

Bibliography. Bryant et al. (2011), Fabre, Fitriana et al. (2017), Flannery (1995b), Menzies (1996), Musser & Carleton (2005), Rimmler (1936), Tate (1951).