Mosaic Tail Giant Rats

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Mosaic Tail Giant Rats
Systematics
Superfamily : Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family : Long-tailed mice (Muridae)
Subfamily : Old World Mice (Murinae)
Tribe : Hydromyini
Uromys group
Genre : Mosaic Tail Giant Rats
Scientific name
Uromys
Peters , 1867

The mosaic-tailed giant rats ( Uromys ), sometimes also referred to as giant naked-tail rats , are a genus of rodents from the subfamily of Old World mice (Murinae). The genus includes eleven species.

features

These rodents reach a head body length of 20 to 34 centimeters, in addition there is a 23 to 38 centimeter long tail. Their weight is 350 to 1020 grams. Their fur is short and mostly rough, on the upper side its color varies from gray to various shades of brown to blackish, the underside is whitish or gray. In contrast to most other Old World mice, the scales of the extremely sparsely hairy tail are arranged like a mosaic. In some species the tail is completely black, in others the tip is white or yellow.

Distribution and way of life

Mosaic-tailed giant rats living in Guinea , including offshore islands in the far north of Queensland ( Australia ) and the Solomon Islands Guadalcanal and Vangunu . Most of the species can climb well and are tree dwellers. Their tail is not developed as a prehensile tail, but you can wrap it around branches where it offers a good hold thanks to the special arrangement of the scales. Only two species, Uromys imperator and Uromys porculus , are ground dwellers. They build nests in tree hollows. Their diet consists of nuts, fruits and flowers.

Re-enactments by introduced cats and other animals as well as habitat destruction endanger the mosaic-tailed giant rats. Three of the ten species may have already become extinct and will be listed by the IUCN as " critically endangered " until confirmed . According to the IUCN, only two species are not endangered.

Systematics

Within the murinae the mosaic-tailed giant rats are the namesake of Uromys -Gattungsgruppe, a person living in Australia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands group that acts as yet the genera melomys ( Melomys ) paramelomys , Protochromys and solomys ( Solomys covers).

According to genetic studies by Lecompte et al. (2008) the animals of the Uromys group are part of a radiation of the old world mice, the hydromyini, which is mainly found in New Guinea and Australia. This radiation also includes the Chrotomys group , the Hydromys group , the Lorentzimys group , the Pogonomys group , the Pseudomys group and the Xeromys group . With the actual rats ( Rattus ), however, they are only distantly related.

The genus comprises eleven species, which can be divided into two sub-genera:

  • Subgenus Cyromys - these animals live on the Solomon Islands:
    • The giant imperial rat ( Uromys imperator ) has not been sighted since the late 19th century and may already be extinct.
    • The Guadalcanal giant rat ( Uromys porculus ) has also not been sighted since the late 19th century and may have already become extinct.
    • The king giant rat ( Uromys rex ) lives on Guadalcanal and ( "high risk" endangered ).
    • The Vangunu giant rat ( Uromys vika ) lives on Vangunu and is threatened with extinction due to the destruction of its habitat.
  • Subgenus Uromys - these animals live on New Guinea and surrounding islands as well as Northeast Australia:
    • The black-tailed giant rat or mountain mosaic- tailed giant rat ( Uromys anak ) is widespread in the New Guinea Central Mountains .
    • The Biak giant rat ( Uromys boeadii ) lives only on the island of Biak. Their population is falling rapidly, and the species is considered " critically endangered ".
    • The giant white-tailed rat ( Uromys caudimaculatus ) is widespread in New Guinea and Northeast Australia.
    • The Emma giant rat ( Uromys emmae ) is only known from the island of Owi off the north coast of New Guinea and may already be extinct.
    • The Queensland giant rat ( Uromys hadrourus ) lives in northeast Queensland and is considered "endangered" ( vulnerable ).
    • The New Britain-giant rat or Bismarck Giant Rat ( Uromys neobritannicus ) inhabited the island of New Britain and is considered "high risk" ( endangered listings).
    • The Kai Giant Rat or Kei Island Giant Rat ( Uromys siebersi ) lives on the Kai Islands. Their degree of risk is unclear.

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 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tyrone H. Lavery and Hikuna Judge: A new species of giant rat (Muridae, Uromys) from Vangunu, Solomon Islands. Journal of Mammalogy 2017, doi: 10.1093 / jmammal / gyx116 .

Web links

  • Uromys on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved October 10, 2009.