Rattus exulans

• Main Authors: Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Lynx Edicions 2017
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Chordata; Mammalia; Rodentia; Muridae; Rattus; Rattus exulans; Rattus rattus
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6788478; http://treatment.plazi.org/id/1E30E27534C2FF72E4572E38722A81C2

669. Pacific Rat Rattus exulans French: Rat de Polynésie / German: Pazifik-Ratte / Spanish: Rata del Pacifico Other common names: Polynesian Rat Taxonomy. Mus exulans Peale, 1848, Tahiti Island (France), Society Islands. Rattus exulans is in the exulans species group, which is sister to the rattus species group. Rattus exulans was found to be closely related to R. everetti in a recent genetic study, but others have found R. everetti to be related to Limnomys and Tarsomys. There is not considerable geographical variation in R. exulans, but small island populations and northern populations tend to be larger. Rattus exulans probably spread with early seafaring people as they traveled to islands and settled, and it might have been intentionally introduced as a food source in many islands. Subfossils have been found throughout its native and less recent introduced distribution. Monotypic. Distribution. Probable original distribution includes SE Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra (including offshore Is of Simeulue, Nias, Mentawai Archipelago, and Enggano), Borneo, Java, Bali, and many nearby Is. Introduced into the Philippines, Sulawesi, Moluccas, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Timor, and various other Is in more ancient times (in the last 2000-3000 years) and also to many Melanesian and Pacific Is, including Ryukyu, Hawaii, Christmas, Cocos (= Keeling), Palau, Northern Mariana, Guam, Micronesia, Marshall, Nauru, Kiribati, New Guinea, Bismarck, Solomon, Tuvalu, Tokelau, Futuna, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Niue, Cook, French Polynesia, Norfolk, New Zealand, and Adele. Descriptive notes. Head—body 75-165 mm, tail 102-197 mm, ear 15-18 mm, hindfoot 21-30 mm; weight 23-60 g. The Pacific Rat is small, with coarse, harsh, and spiny pelage. Dorsum is reddish brown (more common on island populations) to grayish brown (more common in mainland populations) and generally lighter on sides. Venter is creamy white orgrayish white, with creamy or white-tipped hairs with ...