Flores giant rat
Species of rodent
| Flores giant rat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Stuffed specimen | |
Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Papagomys |
| Species: | P. armandvillei |
| Binomial name | |
| Papagomys armandvillei (Jentink, 1892) | |
The Flores giant rat (Papagomys armandvillei) is a rodent of the family Muridae that occurs on the island of Flores in Indonesia.[2] It has been recorded in Rutong Protection Forest. The species is found in primary, secondary and disturbed forest over a wide range of elevations.[1] Its head and body length is 41–45 cm (16–17.5 in) and its tail length is 33–70 cm (13–27.5 in). These dimensions are about twice as large as those of a typical brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), which suggests about eight times the body mass.
The body mass has been estimated at 1.2–2.5 kilograms (2.6–5.5 lb), comparable to a rabbit.[3]
Papagomys armandvillei is the only extant species in the genus Papagomys, with another smaller species, Papagomys theodorverhoeveni known from subfossil remains.[3] The specific epithet, armandvillei, honours the Dutch Jesuit missionary Cornelis J. F. le Cocq d'Armandville (1846–1896) who was stationed in the Dutch East Indies, and later in New Guinea.[4]
Guy Musser describes the Flores giant rat as having small, round ears, a chunky body, and a small tail, and as appearing to be adapted for life on the ground with refuge in burrows. It has dense dark hair (pelage). Analysis of the teeth suggests a diet of leaves, buds, fruit, and certain kinds of insects as inferred by large hypsodont teeth.[5]
The Flores giant rat has been suggested to have been a prey item of the extinct dwarf human species Homo floresiensis.[3]
Conservation
P. armandvillei is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List. Threats include subsistence hunting and predation by dogs and cats.[1]
See also
References
Wikispecies has information related to Papagomys armandvillei.
- ^ a b c Gerrie, R.; Kennerley, R. (2017). "Papagomys armandvillei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T15975A22399875. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T15975A22399875.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Musser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1430. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ a b c Veatch, E. Grace; Tocheri, Matthew W.; Sutikna, Thomas; McGrath, Kate; Wahyu Saptomo, E.; Jatmiko; Helgen, Kristofer M. (May 2019). "Temporal shifts in the distribution of murine rodent body size classes at Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia) reveal new insights into the paleoecology of Homo floresiensis and associated fauna". Journal of Human Evolution. 130: 45–60. Bibcode:2019JHumE.130...45V. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.02.002. hdl:2440/121139. PMID 31010543.
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2009). "Armandville". The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-8018-9304-9.
- ^ Musser, G. G. (1981-09-24). "The giant rat of Flores and its relatives east of Borneo and Bali". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 169: 67–176. hdl:2246/568.
- v
- t
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Extant species of subfamily Murinae (Rattus)
- Luzon broad-toothed rat (A. latidens)
(Bandicoot rats)
- Lesser bandicoot rat (B. bengalensis)
- Greater bandicoot rat (B. indica)
- Savile's bandicoot rat (B. savilei)
(White-toothed rats)
- Small white-toothed rat (B. berdmorei)
- Bower's white-toothed rat (B. bowersi)
- Kenneth's white-toothed rat (B. mackenziei)
- Manipur white-toothed rat (B. manipulus)
- Bagobo rat (B. bagobus)
- Camiguin forest rat (B. gamay)
- Lagre Luzon forest rat (B. luzonicus)
- Andrew's hill rat (B. andrewsi)
- Yellow-haired hill rat (B. chrysocomus)
- Heavenly hill rat (B. coelestis)
- Fraternal hill rat (B. fratrorum)
- Karoko hill rat (B. karokophilus)
- Inland hill rat (B. penitus)
- Long-headed hill rat (B. prolatus)
- Tana Toraja hill rat (B. torajae)
- Ryukyu long-tailed giant rat (D. legatus)
- Sody's tree rat (K. sodyi)
- Komodo rat (K. rintjanus)
- Gray-bellied mountain rat (L. bryophilus)
- Mindanao mountain rat (L. sibuanus)
- Bunn's short-tailed bandicoot rat (N. bunnii)
- Short-tailed bandicoot rat (N. indica)
- Ceram rat (N. ceramicus)
- Palawan soft-furred mountain rat (P. furvus)
- Flores giant rat (P. armandvillei)
- Sulawesi giant rat (P. dominator)
- Flores long-nosed rat (P. naso)
(Typical rats)
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(Giant Sunda rats)
- Annandale's rat (S. annandalei)
- Mountain giant Sunda rat (S. infraluteus)
- Bartels's rat (S. maxi)
- Müller's giant Sunda rat (S. muelleri)
- Salokko rat (T. arcuatus)
- Lovely-haired rat (T. callitrichus)
- Celebes rat (T. celebensis)
- Sulawesi montane rat (T. hamatus)
- Small-eared rat (T. microbullatus)
- Sulawesi forest rat (T. punicans)
- Tondano rat (T. taerae)
- Long-footed rat (T. apoensis)
- Spiny long-footed rat (T. echinatus)
- Luzon short-nosed rat (T. adustus)
- See also
- Aethomys–Chrotomys
- Colomys–Golunda
- Hadromys–Maxomys
- Melasmothrix–Mus
- Oenomys–Pithecheir
- Pogonomys–Pseudomys
- Stenocephalomys–Xeromys
- Otomys
- Others
