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D.J. Kitchener, A. Suyanto 
Figure 4 Habitat of Melomys howi at type locality. 
supraorbital vibrissae and 1-3 long (up to 8) white 
ulnar vibrissae. 
Habitat 
Pulau Riama is a small flat sandy islet that as 
recently as 1990 was a noted nesting site for Green 
and Hawskbill turtles. Since then hunting of turtles 
on this island by fishermen from nearby Salaru 
Island has resulted in the virtual absence of turtles 
nesting on the island. The presence of numerous 
turtle hunters and fishermen on the island has also 
led to the disturbance of much of the low dune 
vegetation fringing the coast. Melomys howi favours 
the open low bushes (Figure 4), particularly 
beneath the patches of moderately closed stands of 
5 m high Casuarina trees fringing the coast. A 
group of 10-15 M. hozvi individuals were observed 
in an area of about 5 m 2 for about one hour 
between 1200 - 1300 hrs feeding on seeds in the 
leaf litter beneath shrubs. 
Reproduction 
The female holotype was pregnant with two 
small foetuses in the left uterine horn. The crown 
to rump length of these foetuses was 
approximately 7.4. There were no obvious 
implantation scars on the right uterine horn. 
The other female collected (WAM M44754) had 
recently given birth; its left uterine horn was only 
partially involuted, bruised, and had two clear 
implantation sites. Vestiges of an umbilical cord 
were apparent in the vagina. No implantation scars 
were observed in the right uterine horn. The four 
inguinal teats were slightly enlarged to a length of 
1.8 and there was more mammary development 
than in the pregnant holotype. 
Etymology 
Named after Dr Richard Alfred How in 
commemoration of his fiftieth birthday and in 
acknowledgement of his great contribution to the 
field work involved in the terrestrial vertebrate 
faunal survey of eastern Indonesia between May 
1988 to September 1993. 
Remarks 
Melomys hozvi differs from the other Melomys on 
the Tanimbar Islands (M. cooperae Kitchener, 1995) 
in having three long rather than one short hair per 
tail scale; considerably smaller cranial dimensions; 
posterior cingulum of m 12 less well developed and 
in details of plantar pads. 
It differs from the geographically next closest 
Melomys (M. bannisteri Kitchener and Maryanto, 
1993) from Kai Besar island, Maluku Tenggara, in 
having three hairs per tail scale; in dental 
morphology; more inflated bulla; longer incisive 
foramen which is widest anteriorly rather than 
posteriorly; tail longer and much longer tail hairs. 
It may be superficially confused with some forms 
of Melomys lutillus (Thomas, 1913), a species 
complex with a New Guinea and Northern 
Australian distribution. It, however, differs from 
M. lutillus in having larger skull measurements; 
broader pes; and in having larger scale tails except 
for the forms M. 1. frigicola Tate, 1951, and M. 1. 
froggatti Troughton, 1937. It differs from M. /. 
frigicola in having snout to vent length smaller 
(111-112 v. 130); bulla shorter (4.6-4.7 v. 4.8); and 
zygomatic plate much broader (4.3-4.9 v. 3.5). It 
differs from M. /. froggatti in having abdominal fur 
white and not grey; and a cranium not abruptly 
rounded anteriorly. 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
We gratefully acknowledge the support of Mr 
Andrew Reeves, Executive Director, Western 
Australian Museum,; and Drs M. Amir, Director, 
Balitbang Zoologi, LIPI. Thanks also to Mr 
Jonathon Holmes, Australian Broadcasting 
Commission, for his companionship on P. Riama. 
Expedition costs were defrayed by a grant to the 
senior author from the Australian Nature 
Conservation Agency. 
