Rattus bontanus Thomas 1921

• Main Authors: Wilson, Don E., Reeder, DeeAnn
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: The Johns Hopkins University Press 2005
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Chordata; Mammalia; Rodentia; Muridae; Rattus; Rattus bontanus; Rattus rattus
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11335459; http://treatment.plazi.org/id/C85514DB39FAC814B9A152C6D934DEA0

Rattus bontanus Thomas 1921 Rattus bontanus Thomas 1921, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 9, 7: 246. Type Locality: Indonesia, SW Sulawesi, Mt Bonthain (Gunung Lampobatang), 2000 ft (610 m). Vernacular Names: Southwestern Xanthurus Rat. Synonyms: Rattus foramineus Sody 1941. Distribution: SW Sulawesi: 600-2500 m on the slopes of Gunung Lampobatang and adjacent coastal lowlands. Conservation: IUCN – Vulnerable as R. bontanus , Lower Risk (nt) as R. foramineus . Discussion: Rattus xanthurus species group. Sody (1941) questionably included this species in Taeromys , Laurie and Hill (1954) and Musser (1984) treated it as a subspecies of R. xanthurus , but Musser and Holden (1991) contended that it is a distinct species most closely related to R. foramineus , which occurs in coastal lowlands of the southern end of the SW peninsula of Sulawesi and is represented only by four modern specimens (Sody, 1941) and subfossil fragments from a few localities (Musser, 1984; Musser and Holden, 1991). Recent morphometric analyses reveal that foramineus is a lowland population of R. bontanus , which has external and morphological traits that distinguish it from any other species in the R. xanthurus group of Sulawesi (Musser, ms). Sody described pelurus from Pulau Peleng as a subspecies of R. foramineus , but the Peleng Isl rat is a separate species (Musser and Holden, 1991; see that account). Published as part of Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Muridae, pp. 1189-1531 in Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore :The Johns Hopkins University Press on page 1467, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7316535