Halmaheramys bokimekot | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Muridae |
Genus: | Halmaheramys |
Species: | H. bokimekot |
Binomial name | |
Halmaheramys bokimekot | |
Halmaheramys bokimekot, the spiny Boki Mekot rat, is a rodent found on the island of Halmahera in the Molucca archipelago, whose discovery was announced in 2013. [2] [3] This is the only locality where this particular species has been found. H. bokimekot was confirmed as a new species through probabilistic methodologies applied to morphological and molecular data.
Named after its geographical provenance in the North Moluccas, Halmaheramys is the only known murine species endemic to Halmahera. The island is part of the biogeographical province of Wallacea. a transitional zone between the Asian and Australasian realms first identified by Alfred Russel Wallace. It is east of the Wallace and Weber lines, but west of Lydekker's Line. The ancestors of H. bokimekot are believed to have colonized Halmahera from the west, probably from Sulawesi; [3] other native Moluccan rodents are believed or suspected to have arrived from islands to the east, consistent with Wallace's insight. [3] Phylogenetically, Halmaheramys nests within a clade whose other members are the genera Sundamys (from Malaysia and western Indonesia, i.e. Sundaland), Bullimus (from the Philippines), Bunomys , Paruromys and Taeromys (from Sulawesi). [3]
"Project leader Pierre-Henri Fabre from the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate states:
'This new rodent highlights the large amount of unknown biodiversity in this Wallacean region and the importance of its conservation. It constitutes a valuable addition to our knowledge of the Wallacean biodiversity and much remains to be learned about mammalian biodiversity across this region. Zoologists must continue to explore this area in order to discover and describe new species in this highly diverse, but also threatened region.'" This region is threatened due to mining and deforestation occurring in the area.
While the original ancestral area of the Murinae is unclear, it appears that the Philippines played a key role in their early spread. Three key colonization periods have been noted: 1) their arrival in the Philippines during the late Miocene; 2) their dispersal to both Sahul and Sulawesi during the late Miocene; 3) at least six colonizations of the Rattini into the Indo-Pacific area. Changing sea levels during the Plio-Pleistocene likely affected the migration of the Murinae throughout the Indo-Pacific archipelagos because areas which are now submerged would at certain times have been exposed. The current distribution pattern of the Murinae may reflect the Rattini's role as the most recently successful clade within the Southeast Asian region; they diversified greatly since the late Miocene, possibly displacing older murine lineages from the Indo-Pacific.
The rat has a long face, spiky brownish grey fur on its back and a greyish white belly with scattered bristly and spiny hairs, and a tail shorter than the head-body length with a white tip. [4] Other characteristics that when put together set H. bokimekot apart from other members of the family Muridae include: a medium sized body, moderately long muzzle with dark brown/greyish ears, white digits and dorsal surfaces of carpel and metacarpal regions, three pairs of teats (two inguinal and one post auxiliary), and at least three young per litter. It is believed to be omnivorous [2] and terrestrial. [4]
The Wallace line or Wallace's line is a faunal boundary line drawn in 1859 by the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace and named by the English biologist T.H. Huxley that separates the biogeographical realms of Asia and 'Wallacea', a transitional zone between Asia and Australia also called the Malay Archipelago and the Indo-Australian Archipelago. To the west of the line are found organisms related to Asiatic species; to the east, a mixture of species of Asian and Australian origins is present. Wallace noticed this clear division in both land mammals and birds during his travels through the East Indies in the 19th century.
The Muroidea are a large superfamily of rodents, including mice, rats, voles, hamsters, lemmings, gerbils, and many other relatives. Although the Muroidea originated in Eurasia, they occupy a vast variety of habitats on every continent except Antarctica. Some authorities have placed all members of this group into a single family, Muridae, due to difficulties in determining how the subfamilies are related to one another. Many of the families within the Muroidea superfamily have more variations between the families than between the different clades. A possible explanation for the variations in rodents is because of the location of these rodents; these changes could have been due to radiation or the overall environment they migrated to or originated in. The following taxonomy is based on recent well-supported molecular phylogenies.
Wallacea is a biogeographical designation for a group of mainly Indonesian islands separated by deep-water straits from the Asian and Australian continental shelves. Wallacea includes Sulawesi, the largest island in the group, as well as Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Timor, Halmahera, Buru, Seram, and many smaller islands. The islands of Wallacea lie between the Sunda Shelf to the west, and the Sahul Shelf including Australia and New Guinea to the south and east. The total land area of Wallacea is 347,000 km2 (134,000 sq mi).
The Muridae, or murids, are the largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 1,383 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia.
The Eumuroida are a clade defined in 2004 by Steppan et al. that includes rats, mice and related species, though not all rodents; in other words, a specific group of muroid rodents. The clade is not defined in the standard taxonomic hierarchy, but it is between superfamily and family.
Micromys is a genus of small rodents in the subfamily Murinae. The genus contains two living species: the widespread Eurasian harvest mouse of much of Europe and Asia; and the more restricted Indochinese harvest mouse of Vietnam, southern China, and perhaps nearby regions. Fossils of Micromys date back to the Late Miocene and include at least 10 extinct species, which form several lineages.
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. In terms of species richness, 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.
Leptomys is a genus of rodent endemic to New Guinea. It is considered part of the New Guinea Old Endemics, meaning it was part of the first wave of murine rodents to colonize the island. Leptomys are seen to have minimal adaptations to their aquatic life style. Elongated hind feet accompanied by elongated centre toes suggest the ability to leap. The third molar which is lost is many rodents is retained but smaller in size. Small eyes and ears can be seen amongst its velvety soft fur.
The fauna of Indonesia is characterised by high levels of biodiversity and endemicity due to its distribution over a vast tropical archipelago. Indonesia divides into two ecological regions; western Indonesia which is more influenced by Asian fauna, and the east which is more influenced by Australasian species.
Margaretamys is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Up until 1973, it was known from only few examples of one species. Then Guy G. Musser collected more examples of this species during his stay in Sulawesi, as well as collecting two new species. And in 1981, as part of his huge project of sorting through the then very large genus Rattus, he described these as members of the new genus, Margaretamys.
Guy Graham Musser was an American zoologist. His main research was in the field of the rodent subfamily Murinae, in which he has described many new species.
Halmaheramys is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae endemic to the Moluccas, Indonesia.
Christine's margareta rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Indonesia on the island of Sulawesi, in a mountainous part of the southeastern peninsula. It was first discovered by an expedition led by Alessio Mortelliti in 2011.
The Wallace's large spiny rat is a rodent found on the Obi Islands of Bisa and Obi in the Molucca archipelago of Indonesia.
The Sulawesi montane rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in Indonesia. It includes the highlands of Sulawesi.
Apodemini is a tribe of muroid rodents in the subfamily Murinae. It contains two extant genera, one found throughout Eurasia and the other endemic to the Ryukyu Islands. Several fossil genera are also known from throughout Eurasia, including one large species (Rhagamys) that persisted on Sardinia and Corsica up until at least the first millennium BC, when it was likely wiped out by human activity.
Praomyini is a tribe of muroid rodents in the subfamily Murinae. Species in this tribe are found mostly throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, but one species is found in North Africa, and another is found in the Arabian Peninsula.
Arvicanthini is a tribe of muroid rodents in the subfamily Murinae. Almost all recent species in this tribe are or were found in Africa aside from one species, the Indian bush rat, which is found in South Asia and Iran. However, some fossil Golunda species from India and the genus Parapelomys are thought to have also occurred outside Africa, and one species in the fossil genus Saidomys may have also occurred in Afghanistan.
Hydromyini is a very large, diverse tribe of muroid rodents in the subfamily Murinae. They are the dominant native rodents in Australasia and one of only two native rodent groups there, the other being the R. fuscipes group of the genus Rattus in the tribe Rattini. They are also found in parts of Southeast Asia.
Rattini is a very large, diverse tribe of muroid rodents in the subfamily Murinae. They are found throughout Asia and Australasia, with a few species ranging into Europe and northern Africa. The most well-known members of this group are the true rats, several species of which have been introduced worldwide.