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| Hapalomys suntsovi |
Abstract
A new species of marmoset rat, Hapalomys suntsovi, is described from Binh Phuoc Province, southern Vietnam. The species seems to be endemic to Vietnam. It is diagnosed on the basis of cranial morphology, the diversity of COI gene sequences and karyotypic peculiarities. A comparison with the two currently recognised Hapalomys species is provided. This finding represents the southernmost record of marmoset rats in Vietnam.
Key words. rodents, skull morphology, genetic diversity, Southeast Asia, new species
Diagnosis. A medium-sized Hapalomys that on the average is smaller in its external and cranial measurements than H. longicaudatus. It is comparable to H. delacouri in its body and cranium size, but can be distinguished by the longer tail, the relatively short incisive foramina, and the cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI). Distinguished from both known species by the karyotype composition.
Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Dr Viktor V. Suntsov (A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow), in recognition of his many contributions to the study of rodents of Vietnam. During 1992–2010, Dr Suntsov headed the Southern Division of the Joint Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technological Centre in Ho Chi Minh City.
Distribution. Currently known from the type locality, the Bu Gia Map National Park, Binh Phuoc Province, Southern Vietnam. It is likely to occur in the adjacent forest regions of Eastern Cambodia.
Natural history. The series of type specimens was collected in old, mature, thick trunk bamboo thickets growing along a forest road (Abramov et al., 2011). All specimens were taken by traps set 5–7 m over the ground surface. Two females caught on 13 January 2010 were pregnant (at early stage) bearing four and five small embryos.
A.V. Abramov, A.E. Balakirev and V.V. Rozhnov. 2017. New Insights Into the Taxonomy of the Marmoset Rats Hapalomys (Rodentia: Muridae).
RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY. 65: 20–28.
RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY. 65: 20–28.
