Rattus colletti

• 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 colletti; Rata; Rattus rattus
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/6828844; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6828844

717. Australian Dusky Rat Rattus colletti French: Rat de Collett / German: Australische Dunkelratte / Spanish: Rata oscura de Australia Other common names: Collett’s Rat, Dusky Rat, Mulbu, Territory Dusky Rat Taxonomy. Mus colletti Thomas, 1904, “S[outh]. Alligator River, Northern Territory, Australia.” Rattus colletti is in the sordidus speceis group and has been placed as a subspecies of R. sor- didus. It 1s sister to R. villosissimus, with R. sor- didus being sisterto this clade. Monotypic. Distribution. N Northern Territory and Melville I, Australia. Descriptive notes. Head—body 65-211 mm, tail 78-150 mm, ear 17-21 mm, hindfoot 28-33 mm; weight 22-213 g. The Australian Dusky Ratis large, with long muzzle. Pelage is long and harsh. Dorsum is dark grizzled grayish brown to grizzled blackish brown, fading to yellowish brown on sides and throat. Venteris grayish to yellowish gray and sharply demarcated from dorsum. Feet are grayish brown dorsally, with black sole. Ears are short, rounded, and dark brownish gray; vibrissae are comparatively short. Tail is only c.70% of head-body length, sparsely covered in black hairs, and dark gray to black. Skull similar to that of the Canefield Rat (R. sordidus) but smaller. Cestodes, trematodes, nematodes,ticks, mites, lice, and fleas have been recorded from the Australian Dusky Rat, including Echinoparyphium, Nippostrongylus, Hymenolepis, Raillietina, and Mastophorus. There are six pairs of mammae: three axillary and three inguinal. Diploid numberis 2n = 42. Habitat. Flat coastal and subcoastal monsoonal flood plains in dense grassland on swampy treeless plains with long periods of floodingand rainfall. During wet season (November—March), heavy rainfall and run-off floods plains for 3-6 months or longer at lower elevations. During dry season (April-May), water retreats, and plains dry out. Food and Feeding. The Australian Dusky Rat is primarily herbivorous. During wet season,it primarily eats stem bases of grasses and corms of sedges. When sheltered on higher ground during ...