Cloud rats in the Philippines – preliminary report on distribution and status

Abstract

This paper describes a preliminary field survey of bushy-tailed cloud rats Crateromys spp. and slender-tailed cloud rats Phloeomys in the Philippines in April and May 1990. Brief visits were made to all islands/locations known to support these animals and also to neighbouring areas considered likely to do so. Comparing the results with information from previous surveys suggests that both genera, particularly Crateromys, are more widely distributed than formerly believed, but that some forms are threatened. Three of the four known species of Crateromys are known only from their holotype specimens, one of which awaits description. Another is extinct in its type locality on Ilin Island but may survive on neighbouring Mindoro. These preliminary findings indicate that thorough surveys are required to establish the status of certain species, to investigate the possibility that new species remain undiscovered and to develop conservation plans to reduce the likelihood of further extinctions occurring. © 1993, Fauna and Flora International. All rights reserved.