Species-limits of Rattus cremoriventer and Rattus langbianis, murid rodents of Southeast Asia and the Greater Sunda Islands. American Museum novitates ; no. 2525

Abstract

"Morphologic and geographic species-limits of Rattus cremoriventer and R. langbianis are outlined in the present report. Rattus cremoriventer is polytypic (five subspecies) and is recorded from peninsular Thailand and Malaya and some offshore islands, Nias Island, Sumatra, Bangka and Billiton islands, Java, Bali, and Borneo and some of its offshore islands. The species has been collected only in forests and is mostly arboreal and nocturnal. The monotypic R. langbianis is morphologically closely related to R. cremoriventer and its known geographic distribution extends from eastern India through Burma, Thailand, and Laos to North and South Vietnam. It, too, is a forest animal but little is known of its habits. Thirteen scientific names, including langbianis, have been allocated to R. cremoriventer by past workers. These names are discussed and properly reallocated in this paper"--P. [1].