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 na ...

in the family

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are the largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 1,383 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. The name Muridae come ...

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 f ...

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

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 Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...

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. Th ...

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-tailed ...

''. The other, and the rat's only close relation, is the

Mindanao mountain rat The Mindanao mountain rat or long-tailed moss mouse (''Limnomys sibuanus''), is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in the Philippines, where it is present at high altitudes in the Kitanglad Mountain Range on the island of ...

, ''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 Mount Malindang is a complex volcano located in the province of Misamis Occidental in the southern island of Mindanao, Philippines. It is the highest point in the province. The least studied mountain range was formed through several volcanic act ...

as well as from

Mount Kitanglad Mount Kitanglad is an inactive volcano located in the Kitanglad Mountain Range in Bukidnon province on Mindanao island. It is the fourth highest mountain in the Philippines and has an approximate height of . It is located between Malaybalay City ...

. 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