From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of
rodents of
Australia .
[1]
[2] Australia has a large number of indigenous rodents, all from the family
Muridae . The "Old
endemics " group are member of tribe
Hydromyini , which reached
Australasia between 11 – 9 million years ago from
Asia , while the "New endemics", members of the tribe
Rattini , are presumed to have arrived more recently, between 4 – 3 million years ago, also from Asia.
[3] Murid rodents are one of the few
placental mammals to have managed to cross the
Wallace Line and colonize Australasia (which previously only contained
marsupial and
monotreme mammals) prior to
European settlement , the others being
bats and
humans who, in turn, introduced the
dingo .
The
black rat ,
brown rat ,
Pacific rat and
house mouse were accidentally introduced to Australia with European settlement, as was a small population of the
five-lined palm squirrel near
Perth .
Grey squirrels have, since introduction, been eradicated from Australia.
Old "endemics" *
White-footed rabbit-rat † , Conilurus albipes - extinct
Brush-tailed rabbit rat , Conilurus penicillatus
Rakali (water rat), Hydromys chrysogaster
Forrest's mouse , Leggadina forresti
Lakeland Downs mouse , Leggadina lakedownensis
Lesser stick-nest rat † , Leporillus apicalis – extinct
Greater stick-nest rat , Leporillus conditor
Broad-toothed mouse , Mastacomys fuscus
Grassland melomys , Melomys burtoni
Cape York melomys , Melomys capensis
Fawn-footed melomys , Melomys cervinipes
Bramble Cay melomys † , Melomys rubicola – extinct
Black-footed tree-rat , Mesembriomys gouldi
Golden-backed tree-rat , Mesembriomys macrurus
Spinifex hopping mouse , Notomys alexis
Short-tailed hopping mouse † , Notomys amplus – extinct
Northern hopping mouse , Notomys aquilo
Fawn hopping mouse , Notomys cervinus
Dusky hopping mouse , Notomys fuscus
Long-tailed hopping mouse † , Notomys longicaudatus – extinct
Big-eared hopping mouse † , Notomys macrotis – extinct
Mitchell's hopping mouse , Notomys mitchelli
Darling Downs hopping mouse † , Notomys mordax – extinct
Great hopping mouse † , Notomys robustus - extinct
Prehensile-tailed rat , Pogonomys mollipilosus
Ash-grey mouse , Pseudomys albocinereus
Silky mouse , Pseudomys apodemoides
Plains rat , Pseudomys australis
Bolam's mouse , Pseudomys bolami
Kakadu pebble-mound mouse , Pseudomys calabyi
Western pebble-mound mouse , Pseudomys chapmani
Little native mouse , Pseudomys delicatulus
Desert mouse , Pseudomys desertor
Shark Bay mouse , Pseudomys fieldi
Smoky mouse , Pseudomys fumeus
Blue-grey mouse † , Pseudomys glaucus – extinct
Gould's mouse † , Pseudomys gouldi – extinct
Eastern chestnut mouse , Pseudomys gracilicaudatus
Sandy inland mouse , Pseudomys hermannsburgensis
Long-tailed mouse , Pseudomys higginsi
Central pebble-mound mouse , Pseudomys johnsoni
Kimberley mouse , Pseudomys laborifex
Western chestnut mouse , Pseudomys nanus
New Holland mouse , Pseudomys novaehollandiae
Western mouse , Pseudomys occidentalis
Hastings River mouse , Pseudomys oralis
Pilliga mouse , Pseudomys pilligaensis
Eastern pebble-mound mouse , Pseudomys patrius
Heath mouse , Pseudomys shortridgei
Giant white-tailed rat , Uromys caudimaculatus
Masked white-tailed rat , Uromys hadrourus
False water rat , Xeromys myoides
Common rock rat , Zyzomys argurus
Arnhem Land rock rat , Zyzomys maini
Carpentarian rock rat , Zyzomys palatalis
Central rock rat , Zyzomys pedunculatus
Kimberley rock rat , Zyzomys woodwardi
New "endemics" *
Introduced
Notes
† Extinct
¤ Introduced
* Several of these species are not actually
endemic to
Australia , but to the
Australasian realm , which includes
Papua New Guinea and eastern
Indonesia . The headings "Old Endemics" and "New Endemics" are used here in that sense (after Strahan
[4] ).
See also
References
^ Van Dyke, S. and Strahan, R. (eds.) (2008) The Mammals of Australia , Third Edition, New Holland / Queensland Museum, Brisbane
ISBN
978-1-877069-25-3
^ Menkhorst, P. and Knight, F. (2001) A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia , Oxford University Press, Melbourne
ISBN
0-19-550870-X
^
http://www.publish.csiro.au/samples/native%20Mice%20and%20rats%20sample.pdf Bill Breed., Fred Ford.,2007 native Mice and rats, Australian Natural History Series, CSIRO publications]
ISBN
978-0-643-09166-5
^ Strahan, R. (ed.) (1995) The Mammals of Australia , Revised (second) Edition, Reed New Holland, Sydney
ISBN
1-876334-88-6
External links