The gray-bellied mountain rat, also known as the gray-bellied limnomys and the buffy-collared moss-mouse (''Limnomys bryophilus''), is a species of
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...
in the family
Muridae.
It is found only in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, where it is common at high elevations of the
Kitanglad Mountain Range
Kitanglad Mountain Range is a mountain range that dominates the northern central portion of the province of Bukidnon. It occupies portions of eight of the municipalities and cities in the province such as Talakag, Baungon, Libona, Manolo Fortic ...
in the province of
Bukidnon
Bukidnon(), officially the Province of Bukidnon ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bukidnon; fil, Lalawigan ng Bukidnon; hil, Kapuroan sang Bukidnon; Binukid and Higaonon: ''Probinsya ta Bukidnon''), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the ...
on the island of
Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
. Its habitat is the moss-rich
montane
Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial ...
cloud forest from about 2,250 metres up to about 2,800 metres.
The rats, which are nocturnal, feed on the ground on
arthropod
Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and cuticle made of chiti ...
s,
earthworm
An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they usually have setae on all segments. T ...
s, fruit, and seeds. Although equipped with three pairs of ''mammae'', females have been observed to give birth about once a year to only a small number of young, commonly as few as one or two.
The gray-bellied mountain rat is one of only two species in the genus ''
Limnomys
''Limnomys'' is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae endemic to Mindanao, Philippines. It contains the following species:
* Gray-bellied mountain rat (''Limnomys bryophilus'')
* Mindanao mountain rat
The Mindanao mountain rat or long-taile ...
''. The other, and the rat's only close relation, is the
Mindanao mountain rat, ''Limnomys sibuanus''. While gray-bellies have been recorded only in the Kitanglad Mountains, the Mindanao is considered to be endemic to the mountains of the island of Mindanao and has been recorded from
Mount Apo
Mount Apo, also known locally as Apo Sandawa, is a large solfataric, dormant stratovolcano on the island of Mindanao, Philippines. With an elevation of above sea level, it is the highest-mountain in the Philippine Archipelago, Mindanao and 2 ...
and
Mount Malindang as well as from
Mount Kitanglad. It has also been observed at lower elevations, its range being between about 2,000 metres and about 2,800 metres.
The alternative name of "buffy-collared moss-mouse"
Species Sheet Buffy-collared moss-mouse
at planet-mammiferes.org. Retrieved February 14, 2012. reflects the rat's small size.
References
Limnomys
Rats of Asia
Endemic fauna of the Philippines
Fauna of Mindanao
Rodents of the Philippines
Mammals described in 2003
{{Murinae-stub