The Isarog striped shrew-rat or Mount Isarog striped rat (''Chrotomys gonzalesi'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

in the family

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are either the largest or second-largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 870 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. ...

found only in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Taxonomy

The Isarog striped shrew-rat (''Chrotomys gonzalesi'') was first described in 1991 by Eric A. Rickart and Lawrence R. Heaney, based on specimens collected in a 1988 survey. The type locality is the "western slope of

Mount Isarog Isarog is an List of active volcanoes in the Philippines, active stratovolcano located in the province of Camarines Sur, Camarines Sur, Philippines, on the island of Luzon. The mountain has active Fumarole, fumaroles and Hot spring, hot springs. It ...

", at an elevation of . It was named for Pedro C. Gonzales, a Filipino naturalist.

Description

The Isarog striped shrew-rat is medium-sized. Within the genus, it is between '' Chrotomys whiteheadi'' and '' C. mindorensis'' in size. The tail is about 56% of the full length, on average. The fur is notably darker than other species in the genus and "soft, dense, and fluffy". The back fur is "shiny black, with faint brown highlights", and some individuals have a pale stripe of fur down the center of the back starting at the head; in some cases it extends to the base of the tail while in others it ends at the upper back. The belly and underparts are "dark grey, faintly washed with grayish buff", and some individuals have a white blaze on the chest. A genetic analysis in 2005 found that it was most closely related to ''Chrotomys whiteheadi'' among the species in the genus.

Distribution, ecology, and conservation

The Isarog striped shrew-rat has only been confirmed from the type locality of Mount Isarog, on

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

island in the Philippines, at elevations between to . One individual found near Saddle Peak has not been definitively identified but may be an Isarog striped shrew-rat. The range may extend to other parts of the

Bicol Peninsula The Bicol Region, designated as Region V, is an administrative region of the Philippines. It comprises six provinces, four on the Bicol Peninsula (the southeastern end of Luzon): Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Sorsogon, and two ...

, but surveys of small mammals on several mountains in the region did not find any individuals. The specie's habitat consists of mountainous oak forests. They are partially

fossorial A fossorial animal () is one that is adapted to digging and which lives primarily (but not solely) underground. Examples of fossorial vertebrates are Mole (animal), moles, badgers, naked mole-rats, meerkats, armadillos, wombats, and mole salamand ...

and eat primarily earthworms as well as other insects. It is considered Near Threatened by the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

due to its limited range, but the species population is stable. The habitat is located within a protected area and is not at significant risk from human activity due to the high elevation. At lower elevations, some parts of its habitat are threatened by abaca farming.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q306526 Rats of Asia Endemic fauna of the Philippines Fauna of Luzon Rodents of the Philippines Mammals described in 1991 Chrotomys Taxonomy articles created by Polbot