Phyllomys sulinus Leite, Christoff & Fagundes 2008
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Echimyidae
Phyllomys
Phyllomys sulinus

description: 98.
Southern Atlantic Tree-rat
Phyllomys sulinus
French: Rat-épineux austral / German: Sldliche Kiistenbaumratte / Spanish: Rata arboricola atlantica meridional
Taxonomy. Phyllomys sulinus Leite, Christoff & Fagundes, 2008,
“South bank of the Uruguay River, municipality of Aratiba, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 27°23’39”S 52°18°01”"W, 420 m elevation.”
Phyllomys sulinus is closely related to P. dasythrix; divergence of these two species is relatively recent. Specimens of P. sulinus have been misidentified as P. dasythrix in museums and publications. Monotypic.
Distribution. SE & S Brazil, in Sao Paulo, Parana, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul states.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 200-210 mm, tail 160-248 mm; weight 190 g. The Southern Atlantic Tree-rat is medium-sized and has dark brown upper part, with overall orange dorsal color. Venter has cream-colored short hairs (10 mm) that are grayish at bases. Some white patches might occur on chin, throat, and venter. It has a coarse pelage, with aristiform and setiform guard hairs. Aristiforms are wide and pale at bases, becoming gradually thinner and darker toward ends and with whiplike tips. Rump pelt is coarse, with long (26 mm) and mid-wide (0-6 mm) guard hairs. Setiforms are shorter (24 mm) than aristiforms on rump, gray-based, shifting gradually to dark brown, with a 4mm orange stripe near tips. Head is dark brown, in contrast with paler body; nose is blunt, brownish, and grayish; and cheeks are pale. Tail is 120% of head-body length and is bicolored, dark brown above and light brown below. Long tail hairs cover scales; these increase in length distally, terminating in a tufted tip. Dorsal surfaces of front feet and hindfeet are silver gray, with long and pale grayish ungual tufts, slightly extending after claws. Skull of the Southern Atlantic Tree-rat is broad and robust. It has well-developed supraorbital ledges; interorbital region is slightly divergent posteriorly, sometimes with small post-orbital processes. Zygomatic arch is robust, with maximum height equal to one-third of jugal length. Spinose post-orbital process is present and mainly formed by jugal. Lateral process of supraoccipital is short and reaches ventrally midline level of external auditory meatus. Mesopterygoid fossa is narrow and forms 45-60° angle anteriorly, reaching last lamina of M*. Incisive foramina are oval. Upper incisors are orthodont. Upper tooth rows are wide. Molar teeth are large, with palate narrower than M'. Angular process ofjaw is not deflected laterally.
Habitat. Coastal inland habitats, in areas of broadleaf evergreen rainforest, semideciduous forest, and evergreen araucaria (Araucariaceae) forests from sea level to elevations of ¢.850 m. The Southern Atlantic Tree-rat is widespread; it might be locally common, but due to fragmentation, its habitat is highly threatened.
Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Southern Atlantic Tree-rat has lophodont cheekteeth that suggest a folivorous diet.
Breeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Southern Atlantic Tree-rat probably nests aboveground, usually in tree hollows.
Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but Southern Atlantic Tree-rats are probably nocturnal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Southern Atlantic Tree-rat is arboreal and probably solitary.
Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The [UCN Red List. Forest habitat where the Southern Atlantic Tree-rat occurs is highly fragmented and reduced, but it is supposed to be abundant in the most intact sections of Atlantic Forest. Given its wide distribution, and supposedly large population, it is unlikely to be declining in the near future. Additional ecological studies of the Southern Atlantic Tree-rat are needed.
Bibliography. Leite (2003), Leite & Loss (2015), Leite et al. (2008), Loss & Leite (2011).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Echimyidae, pp. 552-604 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 601, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6623649