Milimonggamys

Last updated

Milimonggamys
Temporal range: Holocene
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Subfamily: Murinae
Tribe: Rattini
Genus: Milimonggamys
Species:
M. juliae
Binomial name
Milimonggamys juliae
Turvey, 2017

Milimonggamys is a genus of large murids that lived on Sumba in Indonesia during Holocene epoch until around 1889 year ago.

Description

Its fossil have been found on Mahaniwa (East Sumba) inside Liang Liwaula that consist most of the mandibulary parts of the animal. Its mandible has reduced coronoid and angular processes that do not extend dorsally or posteriorly beyond the level of the articular condyle; this mandible morphology is only similar to Komodomys among the endemic Flores murid genera, but is otherwise similar to some southeast Asian Rattini (e.g. Maxomys ). Although not as big as some extinct and extant Lesser Sunda rodents, Milimonggamys is still a large rodent that can reach 251.2–336.3 g. They lived alongside other giant rat species that have been named Raksasamys ("giant rat"). [1]

References

  1. Turvey, Samuel T. (30 August 2017). "Quaternary vertebrate faunas from Sumba, Indonesia: implications for Wallacean biogeography and evolution". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 284 (1861). doi:10.1098/rspb.2017.1278. PMC   5577490 . PMID   28855367.