White-bellied rats

White-bellied rats
	Cream center, cream center
Systematics
Superfamily :	Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family :	Long-tailed mice (Muridae)
Subfamily :	Old World Mice (Murinae)
Tribe :	Rattini
	Dacnomys group
Genre :	White-bellied rats
Scientific name
	Niviventer
	JT Marshall Jr. , 1976

The white-bellied rats ( Niviventer ) are a genus of rodents from the group of old world mice (Murinae). The genus includes 17 species. They are native to South and Southeast Asia , their distribution area ranges from India and central China to Borneo and Java . Their habitat are different forest forms, both lowland and mountain forests. They can live both on the ground and in the trees.

features

White-bellied rats are medium-sized, rat-like animals. They reach a head body length of 11 to 21 centimeters, plus a 12 to 27 centimeter long monochrome or two-tone tail. As far as is known, their weight is around 60 to 80 grams. The color of the fur on the back varies from gray-brown to yellow- or red-brown, the belly is usually white to creamy white.

Various skull features are characteristic. The beginning of the zygomatic arch on the temporal bone is very high on the skull. The incisive foramen extends to the first molar and the posterior edge of the bony palate extends to the posterior edge of the third upper molar. The timpani is comparatively small.

Systematics

The white-bellied rats form their own genus within the old world mice. The genus was first described by Joe Truesdell Marshall in 1976, where he specified the type Niviventer niviventer , originally Mus niviventer Hodgeson, 1836, as the nomenclatory type .

Wilson & Reeder (2005) distinguish the following 17 types:

Anderson white-bellied rat ( Niviventer andersoni ) lives in mountainous countries in central and southern China.
Brahma white-bellied rat ( Niviventer brahma ) inhabits northeastern India and northern Myanmar.
Cameron highland white-bellied rat ( Niviventer cameroni ) occurs only in the Cameron highlands on the Malay Peninsula.
Chinese white-bellied rat ( Niviventer confucianus ) is native to central and eastern China and northern Southeast Asia.
Coxing white-bellied rat ( Niviventer coninga ) lives only in Taiwan.
Sunda white-bellied rat ( Niviventer cremoriventer ) inhabits the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and Java.
Taiwan white-bellied rat ( Niviventer culturatus ) is endemic to Taiwan.
Small Himalayan white-bellied rat ( Niviventer eha ) inhabits the Himalayan region in northern India and Nepal as well as southern China.
Sichuan white-bellied rat ( Niviventer excelsior ) lives in southwestern China.
Sumatran white-bellied rat ( Niviventer fraternus ) occurs in western Sumatra.
Chestnut white-bellied rat or chestnut mouse ( Niviventer fulvescens ) is widespread across Southeast Asia.
Limestone white-bellied rat ( Niviventer hinpoon ) inhabits a small area in southeast Thailand.
Lang-Bian white-bellied rat ( Niviventer langbianis ) occurs in large parts of northern Southeast Asia.
The narrow-tailed white-bellied rat ( Niviventer lepturus ) lives on Java.
Great Himalayan white-bellied rat or simply white -bellied rat ( Niviventer niviventer ) inhabits the Himalayan region in northern South Asia.

Long-tailed white-bellied rat ( Niviventer rapit ) is endemic to Borneo.

Indochinese white-bellied rat ( Niviventer tenaster ) lives in northern Southeast Asia.

According to the IUCN, the threatened species include C. cameroni and C. cremoniventer , which are listed as "endangered", and C. culturatus , which are listed as "low risk". Exact data are missing for C. hinpon , the other species are "not endangered" according to the IUCN.

The white-bellied rats are systematically classified within the old world mice in the Dacnomys group .

supporting documents

^ ^A ^b ^c 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 .
^ ^A ^b Robert S. Hoffmann, Andrew T. Smith: Genus Niviventer. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , p. 265.
↑ ^a ^b Niviventer ( memento of October 7, 2015 in the Internet Archive ). In: 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 .

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 .

Web links

Niviventer on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved October 16, 2009.

[Nowak_1999-1] A ^b ^c 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 .

[Smith_&_Yan_Xie_2009-2] A ^b Robert S. Hoffmann, Andrew T. Smith: Genus Niviventer. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , p. 265.

[Wilson_&_Reeder_2005-3] Niviventer ( memento of October 7, 2015 in the Internet Archive ). In: 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 .