Billion rat

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Billion rat
Systematics
Family : Long-tailed mice (Muridae)
Subfamily : Old World Mice (Murinae)
Tribe : Rattini
Dacnomys group
Genre : Dacnomys
Type : Billion rat
Scientific name of the  genus
Dacnomys
Thomas , 1916
Scientific name of the  species
Dacnomys millardi
Thomas , 1916

The Millard rat ( Dacnomys millardi ) is a rodent from the group of old world mice (Murinae).

General

Millard rats are relatively large representatives of the Old World mice with long tails. They reach a head body length of 23 to 29 centimeters, the tail measures 31 to 34 centimeters. Their dense, coarse fur is colored olive-brown to gray-brown on the upper side, the underside is colored a light red-brown. The ears are small and brown, the tail is covered with fine, short hair. The molars have a high crown and the row of teeth is very long.

Millard rats live in eastern Nepal , northeast India , southern China, and the neighboring regions of Laos and Vietnam . Their habitat are mountainous, evergreen forests. Otherwise nothing is known about their way of life.

There are only a few sightings of this kind, so no precise information on the degree of danger can be given. The IUCN lists the Millard rat under “too little data available” ( data deficient ).

Systematics

In Wilson & Reeder (2005), the Millard rat is the namesake of the Dacnomys group, a group widespread in Southeast Asia, which also includes the genera Mindoro rats ( Anonymomys ), Fea tree rats ( Chiromyscus ), long-tailed giant rats ( Leopoldamys ), Includes white-bellied rats ( Niviventer ) and Sri Lankan rats ( Srilankamys ). The newly discovered species Saxatilomys paulinae and Tonkinomys daovantieni probably also belong here.

According to the genetic studies by Lecompte et al. (2008) the animals of the Dacnomys group are part of a radiation of the old world mice, the rattini, which is mainly found in Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Australia. This radiation also includes the Crunomys group , the Maxomys group , the Micromys group and the Rattus group .

literature

  • 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 .
  • Emilie Lecompte, Ken Aplin, Christiane Denys, François Catzeflis, Marion Chades, Pascale Chevret: Phylogeny and biogeography of African Murinae based on mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences, with a new tribal classification of the subfamily. In: BMC Evolutionary Biology. Vol. 8, 199, 2008, pp. 1-21, doi : 10.1186 / 1471-2148-8-199 .

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