A NEW UROMYS FROM THE KEI ISLANDS. 



By 



Oldfield Thomas. 

 (British Museum, London). 



Thanks to the kindness of Dr. Dammerman I have had the opportunity 

 of examining a number of small mammals collected in the Kei Islands by 

 Mr. SlEBERS for the Buitenzorg Museum. These include examples of the 

 following species : — Pteropiis keyensis, PET., Dobsonia viridis viridis^ Heude, 

 Hipposideros albanensis saeviis, K. And., Emballoniira meeki claviunijTHOs. y 

 Rattus neglectus, ]ENT. and ephippium, JENT., Petaunis breviceps papuanus, 

 Thos., Echymipera rufescens, P. & D. and a new species of Uromys. 



This latter I would propose to call 



Uromys sicbersi, sp. n. 



A large species of a colour less tawny than in U. aruensis. ') Size slightly less 

 than in aruensis. General colour of a greyish more inclined to tawny than in the typically 

 grey species such as Ü7. macropus, more like va//cfi/s and its allies, but far less tawny than 

 in aruensis. Dorsal colour near "buffy brown", irregularly mixed with a warmer tone 

 approaching "cinnamon brown", many of the hairs quite tawny. Undersurface thinly 

 haired, sharply defined white, the hairs white to their bases. Head like back. Hands 

 and feet dull whitish. Tail comparatively short, shorter than the head and body, scaly, 

 naked, dull brown above, lighter below, the colours not sharply contrasted. 



Skull about as in U. aruensis. 



Dimensions of the pair, male and female, the first the type: — Head and body 280, 

 250; tail 234, 218; hind foot 50, 47; ear 26, 22. Skull of male, greatest length 63, 

 condylo-incisive length 58, nasals 22.5; interorbital breadth 10.3; breadth between 

 ridges on brain case 18; palatal foramina 7; upper molar series 12. 



Hab. Kei Islands. Type from Gunung Daab, Great Kei. 



Type. Adult male, B. M. No. 23. 4. 3. 12. Original number 158. Collected 17th 

 April 1922 by natives. Presented by the Buitenzorg Museum to the British Museum. 



This fine species is readily distinguishable by its short irregularly 

 coloured tail and its greyish brown colour. Its nearest ally, geographically, 

 is the Aru Island form, U. aruensis, which is of a strong tawny hue and 

 has a longer tail. 



•) When Gray described Uromys aruensis he had two specimens, collected in 

 the Aru Islands by Dr. A. B. Meyer. Of these I propose to select the old male, B. M. 

 No. 72. 3. 5. 3. as a lectotype of the species. 



