Phyllomys thomasi
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 thomasi

description: 96.
Giant Atlantic Tree-rat
Phyllomys thomasi
French: Rat-épineux de Sao Sebastiao / German: Riesen-Kiistenbaumratte / Spanish: Rata arboricola atlantica gigante
Other common names: Thomas's Atlantic Tree-rat
Taxonomy. Mesomys thomasi Ihering, 1897,
“Ilha de Sao Sebastiao.” Restricted by L. H. Emmons and colleagues in 2002 to “Ilha de Sao Sebastiao, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 23°46’S 45°21°'W.”
Phyllomys thomas: was formerly classified in the genera Loncheres, Euryzygomatomys, Echimys, and Nelomys. Monotypic.
Distribution. SE Brazil, (Sao Sebastiao I, off the Sao Paulo State).
Descriptive notes. Head-body 270-299 mm, tail 270-340 mm; weight 432 g. The Giant Atlantic Tree-rat is the largest species of Phyllomys. It has reddish brown upperpart, streaked with black on dorsum and dark on sides. Venter is light cream, gradually darkening from medial part to lateral one. It has spiny pelt, having aristiform guard hairs brownish gray at bases becoming gradually black toward ends with thin whip-like tips. Aristiforms on rump are long (33 mm) and narrow (0-7 mm). Tail is equal to head-body length, robust, covered with dark brown hairs from base toward end, hiding scales, and tip has no distal tuft. Skull of the Giant Atlantic Tree-rat is broad and robust. It has well-developed supraorbital ledges; interorbital region is parallel, with absent or inconspicuous post-orbital processes. Zygomatic arch is robust, with maximum height reaching more than one-third ofjugal length. Rounded post-orbital process is mainly formed by jugal. Lateral process of supraoccipitalis short, reaching ventrally to level of midline of external auditory meatus. Mesopterygoid fossa is wide and forms 60° angle anteriorly, reaching posterior lamina of M*. Incisive foramina are teardrop-shaped. Upper incisors are opisthodont. Upper tooth rows are wide, either parallel or slightly divergent posteriorly. Molar teeth are large, and palate is equal to or wider than M'. Angular process ofjaw is not deflected laterally.
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Habitat. Broadleaf evergreen rainforests over rugged topography on Sao Sebastiao Island from sea level to elevation of 1379 m.
Food and Feeding. A captive female Giant Atlantic Tree-rat was fed fruit for a few days and refused green fodder.
Breeding. A nest of a Giant Atlantic Tree-rat was 13 m up in a fork of a tree and was constructed of interwoven dried and twisted leaves, forming roughly an oval dome with its base measuring 38 x 30 x 20 cm.
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Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but Giant Atlantic Tree-rats are probably nocturnal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Giant Atlantic Tree-rat is arboreal and probably solitary.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. The Giant Atlantic Tree-rat is endemic to Sao Sebastiao Island, which is 336 km?, 80% covered by Atlantic rainforest, and protected as a state park. As many insular species, habitat of the Giant Atlantic Tree-rat is threatened by ongoing pressure from increasing human population and introduction of invasive species (cats and dogs). There is no infor mation on its population or abundance. Additional ecological studies of the poorly known Giant Atlantic Tree-rat are needed.
Bibliography. Emmons (1990, 1997a), Emmons et al. (2002), von Ihering (1897), Leite (2003), Leite & Loss (2015), Loss & Leite (2011), Moojen (1952b), Olmos (1997), Woods & Kilpatrick (2005)
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 pages 602-603, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6623649