| Dusky mosaic-tailed rat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Melomys |
| Species: | M. aerosus |
| Binomial name | |
| Melomys aerosus (Thomas, 1920) | |
The dusky mosaic-tailed rat (Melomys aerosus) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
This rat species is endemic to Seram Island of the Maluku Islands archipelago, in Indonesia.
It is found from 650–1,830 metres (2,130–6,000 ft). It is currently known from three localities: Mount Manusela in Manusela National Park, Mount Hoaulu, and near Kanikeh.
The Old World rats and mice, part of the subfamily Murinae in the family Muridae, comprise at least 519 species. Members of this subfamily are called murines. This subfamily is larger than all mammal families except the Cricetidae and Muridae, and is larger than all mammal orders except the bats and the remainder of the rodents.
Melomys is a genus of rodents in the family Muridae. Members of this genus live in the wet habitats of northern Australia, New Guinea, Torres Strait Islands and islands of the Indonesian archipelago.
The Bougainville mosaic-tailed rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
The grassland mosaic-tailed rat, or grassland melomys, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Australia and Papua New Guinea. In Australia it is found along the northern coast from Kimberley to New South Wales. In the Top End it is often found in Pandanus. Kunwinjku of western Arnhem Land call this animal Mulbu.
The Cape York mosaic-tailed rat, or Cape York melomys is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Australia, on the Cape York Peninsula.
The fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rat, or fawn-footed melomys is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Australia.
The Manusela mosaic-tailed rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Indonesia. It lives in the rainforests on the island of Seram in Indonesia. Specimens of it weigh 66.5g and have a head and body length of 118-135mm and a tail length of 126–140mm.
The white-bellied mosaic-tailed rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in West Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
The Obi mosaic-tailed rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Indonesia.
The Bramble Cay melomys, or Bramble Cay mosaic-tailed rat, is a recently extinct species of rodent in the family Muridae and subfamily Murinae. It was an endemic species of the isolated Bramble Cay, a vegetated coral cay located at the northern tip of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Described by researchers as having last been seen in 2009 and declared extinct by the Queensland Government and University of Queensland researchers in 2016, it was formally declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in May 2015 and the Australian government in February 2019. Having been the only mammal endemic to the reef, its extinction was described as the first extinction of a mammal species due to anthropogenic climate change.
The black-tailed mosaic-tailed rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to the island of New Guinea.
Bannister's rat, or great Key Island mosaic-tailed rat, or great Key Island melomys or great Kai Island melomys is a species of rodent of the genus Melomys. It is endemic to the Kai Besar, one of the islands which are part of the Maluku Islands, Indonesia.
Manusela National Park is located on Seram island, in the Maluku archipelago of Indonesia. It is made up of coastal forest, swamp forest, lowland and montane rainforest ecosystem types. Mount Binaiya at 3,027 meters, is the highest of the park's six mountains. Seram is remarkable for its high degree of localised bird endemism. The park also includes important karst landscapes. On Mount Hatu Saka, near the coast of Saleman-Sawai, it is the Goa Hatusaka, currently the deepest cave of the whole Indonesia.
The Yamdena mosaic-tailed rat is a species of rat belonging to the family Muridae. It was first described in 1995 from specimens found on Yamdena Island in Indonesia. No other examples of this species have been found; as a result very little is known about it. IUCN lists it as Data Deficient.
The Rossel Island melomys is a species of rodent from the family Muridae. It is endemic to Rossel Island in Papua New Guinea, but Flannery (1955) presumed that "it did exist previously on other islands of the group, but has become extinct on all except Rossel." For many years it was seen as a subspecies of the white-bellied mosaic-tailed rat, but is now considered a distinct species. It is listed as data deficient by the IUCN Red List in light of little information on "population status, ecological requirements, and threats". The Rossel Island melomys has not been officially recorded since 1956, but its habitat is still in good condition. The IUCN lists determining population status of the melomys as a "high priority".
Dollman's melomys is a species of rodent from the family Muridae. It lives in the eastern highlands of Papua New Guinea at an elevation of at least 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) and on the slopes of Mount Hagen and Mount Sisa. However, it is not found east of the Okapa area. It is an arboreal species occurring in montane secondary and degraded forest, preferring moist tropical environments. Formerly considered to be a subspecies of the black-tailed mosaic-tailed rat, the Dollman's melomys is also often listed as its binomial synonym, Melomys gracilis. The melomys is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List due to its wide range, lack of threats, and tolerance of disturbance.
The short-tailed Talaud mosaic-tailed rat or the short-tailed Talaud melomys is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Karakelong and Salebabu in the Talaud Islands in Indonesia where it occurs in forest habitats. The long-tailed Talaud mosaic-tailed rat is also present on the islands and the shorter tail of this species means that it is likely to be mainly terrestrial whereas M. talaudium is largely arboreal.
The long-tailed Talaud mosaic-tailed rat or the long-tailed Talaud melomys is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Karakelong and Salebabu in the Talaud Islands in Indonesia where it occurs in forest habitats. It is morphologically similar to the white-bellied mosaic-tailed rat and was at one time considered to be a subspecies but is now recognised as a distinct species. The short-tailed mosaic-tailed rat is also present on the islands and the shorter tail of that species means that it is likely to be mainly terrestrial whereas M. talaudium is largely arboreal.
The Riama mosaic-tailed rat, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only on the island of Riama in Indonesia, a small island to the west of Selaru in the Tanimbar Islands. Very little is known about this species, but it may also be present on some of the other islands in this group.
The Seram rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in Indonesia. The ecoregion includes the island of Seram and neighboring islands.
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