Pseudo-Spirited Rat

Individuals are slightly larger than Niviventer fulvescens, with an adult body length of 130-160mm. Tail length is 170-188mm. Hind legs are 25-28mm. The back is reddish brown to yellowish brown, brighter than Niviventer confucianus and closer to Niviventer. The back has many hard needle hairs. The abdomen is pure white, with a clear boundary between the dorsal and ventral hairs. The tail is significantly longer than the body length, about 125% of the body length, and is clearly two-colored. The hair on the tail tip is longer, and does not form a completely white tail tip. The ventral side is white, and the back is yellowish brown.

In China, it is distributed in Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Hainan, Anhui, etc. Abroad, it is distributed in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, etc.

The species status of Pseudo-spiny rat is controversial, and it has long been considered a synonym of the needle-haired rat. The type locality of the needle-haired rat is Nepal, and the type locality of the Pseudo-spiny rat is Guadun, Fujian, and the two are far apart. Molecular phylogenetics confirms that Pseudo-spiny rat is an independent species. The needle-haired rat is mainly distributed in Tibet and northern Yunnan in my country. The boundary between the two distribution areas is not completely clear at present and needs further study.