Long-tailed giant rats
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Long-tailed giant rats ( Leopoldamys ) |
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| Ellerman , 1947 |
The long-tailed giant rats ( Leopoldamys ) are a genus of rodents from the group of old world mice (Murinae).
description
These rodents reach a head-trunk length of 18 to 28 centimeters, the tail is significantly longer with 30 to 42 centimeters. Their weight is 200 to 500 grams. The fur is short, the brown upper side is separated from the white underside by a clear line. The hind feet are long and slender, the ears small and hardly hairy.
Long-tailed giant rats live in Southeast Asia , their range extends from northeast India over the Malay Peninsula to Java and Borneo . They live in forests and can be found both on the ground and in the trees. Their food consists of insects and other small animals as well as various parts of plants.
Internal system
Since the establishment of the genus Leopoldamys by Ellerman in 1947 based on the type species Leopoldamys sabanus , at least 28 taxa have been described within the genus. Most of them are subspecies. In addition, it is assumed that there are some species groups within the genus, the individual species of which could not yet be sufficiently broken down even with molecular genetic methods.
At least nine types are distinguished (as of the end of 2013):
- Sunda long-tailed giant rat ( Leopoldamys ciliatus ) occurs in the north of the Malay Peninsula at altitudes above 1000 m. The species was previously considered a subspecies of Leopoldamys edwardsi .
- Edwards long-tailed giant rat ( Leopoldamys edwardsi ) lives in northern Southeast Asia, from northeast India to southern China.
- Leopoldamys herberti occurs in Vietnam , Laos and Thailand .
- Millet long-tailed giant rat ( Leopoldamys milleti ) is endemic to the Lang Bian Mountains in the highlands around Dà Lat in southern Vietnam.
- Neill long-tailed giant rat ( Leopoldamys neilli ) lives in isolated limestone areas in northern Thailand.
- Leopoldamys revertens is native to Vietnam, Laos and Thailand and was formerly a subspecies of Leopoldamys sabanus .
- South Asian long-tailed giant rat ( Leopoldamys sabanus ) is common in Borneo and Java.
- Mentawei long-tailed giant rat ( Leopoldamys siporanus ) occurs only on the Mentawai Islands off the coast of Sumatra .
- Leopoldamys vociferans is native to the Malay Peninsula in the lowlands.
External system
The long-tailed giant rats are systematically classified within the old world mice in the Dacnomys group .
Danger
The IUCN lists Leopoldamys siporanus as "endangered" due to its small distribution area , for Leopoldamys neilli there are no precise data, the other species are not endangered ( least concern ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b A. E. Balakirev, AV Abramov & VV Rozhnov: Revision of the genus Leopoldamys (Rodentia, Muridae) as inferred from morphological and molecular data, with a special emphasis on the species composition in continental Indochina. Zootaxa, 3640, pp. 521-549, 2013 doi : 10.11646 / zootaxa.3640.4.2
- ↑ A. Latinne et al .: Is Leopoldamys neilli (Rodentia, Muridae) a synonym of Leopoldamys herberti? A reply to Balakirev et al. (2013). Zootaxa, 3731, 4, pp. 589-598, 2013 doi : 10.11646 / zootaxa.3731.4.10
literature
- John Reeves Ellerman: The families and genera of living rodents. Vol. 2. Family Muridae. British Museum (Natural History), London 1941
- John Reeves Ellerman: Notes on some Asiatic rodents in the British Museum. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 117, pp. 259-271, 1947 doi : 10.1111 / j.1096-3642.1947.tb00509.x (first description)
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999 ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
- Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005 ISBN 0-8018-8221-4
Web links
- Leopoldamys on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved October 16, 2009.