Rattus sordidus

• 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 sordidus; Rattus rattus
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6869013; http://treatment.plazi.org/id/1E30E27534D3FF61E49E2AAC726881C6

721. Canefield Rat Rattus sordidus French: Rat des cannes / German: Australische Zuckerrohrratte / Spanish: Rata de canaveral Other common names: Dusky Field-rat, Field Rat, Sombre Downs Rat, Sordid Rat Taxonomy. Mus sordidus Gould, 1858, “Open plains of Darling Downs,” Queens-land, Australia. Rattus sordidus is in the R. sordidus species group, which clusters with the other Australian species groups. All Australian species aresister to a clade containing the New Guinea endemic species, although not all species have been sampled and more research is needed to fully resolve the relationships within this clade of Rattus. Rattus sordidus previously included R. colletti and R. villossisimus as subspecies, but both are recognized as separate sister species, with R. sordidus being sister to them both. There is apparently an undescribed species from northern Queensland that is a pest in wheatfields, and subspecies of R. sordidus could be recognized with future research. Monotypic. Distribution. C, S & SE New Guinea and Australia, including NE & E Queensland and South West I (Sir Andrew Pellew Group) off the coast of NE Northern Territory (this population might be extinct). Descriptive notes. Head-body 110-210 mm, tail 100-160 mm, ear 16-22 mm, hindfoot 27-37 mm; weight 50-260 g (males) and 50-150 g (females). Males are larger than females. The Canefield Rat is medium-sized, with prominently ridged rostrum. Pelage is coarse and spiky. Dorsum is grizzled dark golden brown to black, with buff tips; venter is pale gray and sharply demarcated from dorsum. Feet are pinkish white dorsally, with pale brown soles. Ears are dark brownish gray, short, and rounded; vibrissae are relatively short. Tail is ¢.80% of head-body length and dark gray to black, with obvious rings of scale overlap. Skull has inflated auditory bulla. The helminths Ancistronema coronatum, Nippostrongylus typicus, and Odilia emanuelae have been recorded from Canfield Rats. There are six pairs of mammae: three axillary and three inguinal. Diploid ...