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Mallomys

About: Mallomys is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 4 publications have been published within this topic receiving 121 citations.

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The morphology of the male phallus is described for 19 of the 23 genera of New Guinea rodents; 28 species are included among the 72 penises examined, and evidence is presented indicating that Hyomys should be placed in the XJromys group rather than with Pogonomys and Mallomys.
Abstract: The morphology of the male phallus is described for 19 of the 23 genera of New Guinea rodents; 28 species are included among the 72 penises examined. A total of 66 characters was studied on each penis and the resulting data were carefully analysed for phylogenetic evidence. An interpretation of the relationships among the taxa examined, based solely on the phallic data, is presented in a phylogenetic tree. Comparisons are then made with the earlier phylogenetic hypotheses, which were based on dental and external body features only. Both approaches indicate four major subdivisions in the endemic fauna. An hypothesis is proposed that accounts for the evolution of all endemic forms from only two invading stocks, one in the Pleistocene giving rise to endemic species of Rattus, and one in the Miocene leading to all the other native rodents. In addition, four widespread modern species have reached New Guinea with the help of man. The extant genus most like the hypothetical original murid immigrant is Anisomys. Evidence is presented indicating that Hyomys should be placed in the XJromys group rather than with Pogonomys and Mallomys. Finally, Pogonomelomys is shown to be almost certainly polyphyletic.

93 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The phylogenetic distinctiveness of Rattus and the closely related Stenomys from all other genera was confirmed, and groups (i) and (ii) are essentially endemic to New Guinea, while the third shares genera and species with Australia.
Abstract: The interrelationships of 19 genera and 28 species of New Guinean rodents representing 80% of the currently recognised New Guinean genera, were studied using microcomplement fixation of albumin to measure immunological distances among genera. The phylogenetic distinctiveness of Rattus and the closely related Stenomys from all other genera was confirmed. The remaining genera fall into three groups: (i) Lorentzimys; (ii) Anisomys, Coccymys, Chiruromys, Hyomys, Macruromys, Mallomys and Pogonomys; and (iii) Crossomys, Hydromys, Leptomys, Mayermys, Melomys, Neohydromys, Parahydromys, Pseudohydromys and Uromys. Solomys, from the Solomon islands, and Leggadina, Mesembriomys and Xeromys, from Australia, were shown to belong to this latter group. Groups (i) and (ii) are essentially endemic to New Guinea, while the third shares genera and species with Australia.

14 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
12 Apr 2017-Zootaxa
TL;DR: Two new species of the genus Trichuris parasitic in the old endemic murids of Indonesia are described, characterized by having a gradually tapered and sharply pointed distal end of the spicule, being readily distinguished from most of the congeners known from murid rodents.
Abstract: Two new species of the genus Trichuris (Nematoda: Trichuridae) parasitic in the old endemic murids of Indonesia are described: T. musseri sp. nov. from Echiothrix centrosa (Murinae: Rattini) in Sulawesi and T. mallomyos sp. nov. from Mallomys rothschildi (Murinae: Hydromyini) in Papua Indonesia. Both species are characterized by having a gradually tapered and sharply pointed distal end of the spicule, being readily distinguished from most of the congeners known from murid rodents. Trichuris musseri is readily distinguished from T. mallomyos by having a much smaller body and large number of nuclei per subdivision of stichosome. The resemblance in spicule morphology between the two new species is of special interest because both hosts belong to different tribes and have different habitats and habits. It remains to be elucidated whether the resemblance is merely homoplasy or actually reflects close phylogenetic relationship of the parasites.

10 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The taxonomy of the species of Mallomys has long been contentious, and during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries a number of species names were proposed, all of which have been regarded more recently as referring to a single variable species.
Abstract: Four species of Mallomys are recognised: M. rothschildi Thomas, 1898, with the subspecies M. r. weylandi Rothschild & Dollman, 1932 (syn. M. argentata Rothschild & Dollman, 1932); M. aroaensis (De Vis, 1907) with the subspecies M. a. hercules Thomas, 1912; M. istapantap n.sp., and M. gunung n.sp. Mallomys rothschildi is the smallest species. It is distinguished from the others by its relatively and often absolutely longer tail, short, diamond-shaped interparietal, and small cranial dimensions. It is found above about 1,500 m along the New Guinean Central Cordillera but is absent in the extreme southeast. It nests primarily in tree hollows. The subspeciesM. r. weylandi is morphologically much more variable than any other Mallomys taxon. This variability may be the result of the absence of congeners within its range. Mallomys aroaensis is intermediate in size. Externally it differs from M. rothschildi except some individuals of M. r. weylandi in its lighter, grey colour, with long white-tipped guard hairs, and an ill-defined dorsal stripe. Cranially, its broad rostrum, inflated frontals, and great bizygomatic width relative to toothrow length distinguish it from all other species of Mallomys. It is found only in Papua New Guinea at altitudes from 1,100 m to about 2,450-3,850 m along the Central Cordillera, and to 3,600 m on the Huon Peninsula. It nests primarily in burrows. Mallomys istapantap n.sp. is the largest species, and appears to be restricted to subalpine grasslands and the upper montane forest fringe at 2,450-3,850 m in the east-central part of the New Guinean Central Cordillera. It is readily distinguished from all other species of Mallomys by its pale ears, and from M. rothschildi and M. aroaensis by its large size, short tail, large hypsodont molars, and numerous other cranial features (see diagnoses). It also nests in burrows. Mallomys gunung n.sp.resembles M. istapantap n.sp. externally, but lacks the pale ears of that species and differs markedly in cranial morphology (see diagnosis). Thus far it is known only from the western part of the Central Cordillera, from Mount Carstenz to Mount Wilhelmina, at altitudes of between 3,500 and 4,050 m. 83 84 Records of the Australian Museum 41 FLANNERY, T.F., K. APLIN, c.P. GROVES & M. ADAMS, 1989. Revision of the New Guinean genus Mallomys (Muridae: Rodentia), with descriptions of two new species from subalpine habitats. Records of the Australian Museum 41(1): 89-111. Species of the genus Mallomys are among the very largestofliving murids. They are shaggy coated, herbivorous rats found only above 1,000 m along New Guinea's Central Cordillera and Huon Peninsula. Now recognised as part of the New Guinean \"old endemic\" radiation (Tate, 1951), their precise reiationships with other genera remain unclear. The taxonomy of the species of Mallomys has long been contentious. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries a number of species names were proposed, all of which have been regarded more recently as referring to a single variable species. Thomas (1898) based Mallomys rothschildi upon a single very dark animal from between Mounts Musgrave and Scratchley in south-eastern New Guinea. In 1912 he proposed a second name, M. hercules, for a large, greyish animal from the Huon Peninsula. Unknown to Thomas, Charles De Vis of the Queensland Museum had in 1907 decribed and named a large grey murid Dendrosminthus aroaensis. This specimen came from the head of the Aroa River in south-eastern New Guinea. De Vis clearly had misgivings about naming this animal, as he wrote \" .. .I feel hardly justified in running the risk of perpetrating a synonym, otherwise I should propose for it the name Dendrosminthus aroaensis ... \" (1907, p.11). Although such a \"conditional name\" would be unavailable were it proposed after 1961, prior to that date this does not prevent availability (see the Code, Art. 15). Two additional taxa were described by Lord Walter Rothschild and Guy Dollman in 1932. They recognised both a blackish species (M. weylandi) and a grey one (M. argentata) from the Weyland Range in western New Guinea. There matters rested until RummIer (1938) reviewed the taxonomy of all of the New Guinean murids. He recognised but a single species of Mallomys, with three geographical subspecies: M. r. rothschildi from south -eastern New Guinea, M. r. hercules from the Bismarck Range and Huon Peninsula, and M. r. weylandi from the Weyland and Snow Mountains. Tate (1951), in his revision of the New Guinean murids, tentatively maintained RummIer's three subspecies, but felt that M. r. weylandi and M. r. rothschildi were very similar, and only doubtfully distinct. He had examined both black and grey furred animals from the Bele River area of Irian Jaya, and had determined that these were simply colour morphs within a single species. Laurie (1952) and Laurie & Hill (1954) also recognised only a single species of Mallomys although Laurie (1952) had also noted the existence of both black and grey animals in collections from various parts of Papua New Guinea. No further revisionary work was undertaken on the genus until this study. However, there were several indications from field workers that RummIer's solution was not the correct one. Menzies & Dennis (1979), for example, mention that some native peoples from the central highlands of Papua New Guinea recognised two kinds of Mallomys. Various social anthropologists and geographers (e.g. P. Dwyer, D. Hyndman, G. Hope, personal communication) have noticed a similar situation when collecting folk taxonomies and undertaking other work. Our work on this problem began with the collection by two of us (T.F., K.A.) of Mallomys material, including tissues suitable for electrophoresis, from various localities throughout Papua New Guinea during 1981-1986. We had also noted considerable variation within available study material, and had tentatively recognised two species on the basis of cranial and external morphology. Electrophoretic results suggested that three groups could be recognised within our material from Papua New Guinea. This view was substantiated by a thorough examination of all relevant materials, and was extended through the recognition of a fourth species from Irian Jaya based on morphological criteria alone. Armed with this reappraisal of all Mallomys materiallield in Australian institutions, one of us (C.P.G.) travelled to London to examine type and other material held in the British Museum, and sought material in other European museums as well. We afterwards borrowed extensively from the holdings of Mallomys in the American Museum of Natural History. The descriptions of the two new taxa proposed in this work were prepared by Flannery, Aplin and Groves, and only those authors should be cited as authorities for the names. Materials and Methods External measurements used in this study were taken from mUseum labels. In most cases they are known to have been taken on freshly dead individuals. Cranial measurements follow Musser (1970), except for toothrow length, which here has been taken as maximum crown length (rather than alveolar length). Colour nomenclature where capitalised follows Ridgway (1886). Abbreviations are as follows: B.M, British Museum (Natural History) mammal specimen. AM M Australian Museum mammal specimen, AM F Australian Museum fossil specimen. AMNH American Museum of Natural History mammal specimen, CM Australian National Wildlife Collection specimen. RM Rijksmtiseum van Natuurlijke Historie [Leiden] mammal specimen.

10 citations

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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
20171
19941
19891
19681