Rattus richardsoni

• 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 richardsoni; Rattus rattus; Tundra
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6828821; http://treatment.plazi.org/id/1E30E27534D4FF65E15E2822757689EA

713. Richardson’s New Guinea Mountain Rat Rattus richardsoni French: Rat de Richardson / German: Richardson-Neuguinea-Ratte / Spanish: Rata de montana de Nueva Guinea de Richardson Other common names: Glacier Rat, Richardson's Mountain Rat Taxonomy. Rattus richardson: Tate, 1949, “near Lake Habbema, north of Mt. Wilhelmina, Netherlands New Guinea, alti-tude 3225 meters.” Rattus richardsoni has not been included in any phylogenetic study. It was previously considered a subspecies of R. omlichodes. Monotypic. Distribution. W Central Cordillera of New Guinea, including Mt Jaya, around Lake Habbema, and Mt Trikora. Descriptive notes. Head—body 122-133 mm,tail 128-142 mm, ear 22-7-24-7 mm, hindfoot 32-2-33-9 mm; weight 59-74 g. Richardson’s New Guinea Mountain Rat is small and distinctive, with very thick and very soft pelage compared with all other New Guinea murines, and it lacks spines. Dorsum is warm brown, with chestnut and rufous colors throughout; individual hairs are brown-tipped or chestnutto rufous-tipped, with dark steel dray base. Dorsal pelage blends to lighter rufous brown on sides and then into ventral pelage. Juveniles aredarker chocolate, with less developed rufous tipping. Venter is buffy white, exceptforsteel gray proximal part of underside. Feet are silvery white dorsally. Ears are pinkish gray, very long, and sparsely covered with dark fur; vibrissae are fairly long. Tail is ¢.105% of head-body length and rich brown dorsally and slightly lighter ventrally, with conspicuously long hairs throughout. Skull is elongated, with long rostrum. There are four pairs of mammae: one pectoral, one post-axillary, and two inguinal. Habitat. Tussock grassland and bare tundra-like habitat of largely rock or gravel with widely interspersed mats of herbs and grass tufts and areas uncovered by glacial retreat at elevations of 3225-4500 m. In New Guinea, Richardson’s New Guinea Mountain Rat is found in the last areas that have glaciers, and the region is wet and cold year-round. Food and Feeding. No information. ...