The giant rat of Flores and its relatives east of Borneo and Bali. Bulletin of the AMNH ; v. 169, article 2

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Date

1981

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

New York : American Museum of Natural History

DOI

DOI

Abstract

"Five murids are known only from Flores: Papagomys armandvillei; P. theodorverhoeveni, new species; Hooijeromys nusatenggara, new genus and species; Floresomys naso, new genus and species; and Spelaeomys florensis. One kind, Komodomys rintjanus, occurs on Flores as well as the Komodo Islands of Rintja and Padar. Papagomys armandvillei still lives on Flores and is also represented by subfossil specimens; P. theodorverhoeveni, F. naso, S. florensis, and K. rintjanus are known by subfossil fragments, the last still lives on the Komodo Islands; and Hooijeromys is based on specimens from sediments thought to be Pleistocene. Characteristics of the species are described. The morphological diversity among them indicates adaptations to different habitats and habits, as well as a bipartite arrangement of phylogenetic affinities. Spelaeomys may be part of a group that includes the genera native to New Guinea. Papagomys clusters with Hooijeromys, Komodomys, and probably Floresomys to form a separate assemblage that has its affinities with Eropeplus and Lenomys on Sulawesi. The postulated relationships of the Floresian rats is set in a framework of possible paleogeographic reconstructions in the Indo-Australian region. The native murids are also contrasted with the rest of the mammalian fauna now known to occur on Flores"--P. 71.

Description

p. 69-175 : ill., map ; 26 cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 170-175).

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