Species Melomys burtoni (Ramsay, 1887)

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CAVS: 1500

Species Melomys burtoni (Ramsay, 1887)

Grassland Melomys

Mus burtoni Ramsay, E.P. 1887. Description of three new species of mammals from north west Australia. Abstr. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. for August 31st, 1887: vi.
Type data:
Holotype AM S427 skull (skin not found in AM), neighbourhood of Derby, WA.
Type locality references:
Ramsay, E.P. 1887. Description of two new species of marsupials (Perameles and Antechinus) and of a new species of Mus (M. burtoni), from the neighbourhood of Derby, N.W.A. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 2 2: 551-553 pl. 17 [551].
Uromys melicus Thomas, O. 1913. Some new species of Uromys. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 8 12: 212-217 [215].
Type data:
Holotype BMNH 13.6.28.32 ♀ skin & skull, Biro, Apsley Strait, Melville Is., NT, sea level (trapped in the mangroves).
Uromys lutillus Thomas, O. 1913. Some new species of Uromys. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 8 12: 212-217 [216] [recorded from Australia by Ride, W.D.L. 1970. A Guide to the Native Mammals of Australia. Melbourne : Oxford Univ. Press xiv 249 pp. 62 pls [156]].
Type data:
Holotype BMNH 5.11.28.20 ♂ skin & skull, Owgarra, Angabunga River, Papua New Guinea.
Secondary source:
Ride, W.D.L. 1970. A Guide to the Native Mammals of Australia. Melbourne : Oxford University Press xiv 249 pp. 62 pls.
Uromys murinus Thomas, O. 1913. Some new species of Uromys. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 8 12: 212-217 [216].
Type data:
Holotype BMNH 99.9.10.3 ♀ skin & skull, Maer Is. (as Mer), Murray Ils, Torres Strait, QLD.
Uromys littoralis Lönnberg, E. 1916. Results of Dr. E. Mjöberg's Scientific Expeditions to Australia 1910–1913. II. Mammals from Queensland. 1. List of mammals. Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps-Academiens Nya Handlingar, Stockholm 52(2): 3-11 [18 Jan. 1916] [5].
Type data:

Syntype(s) NHRM A58/2040 ♀ skin & skull, the beach near the mouth of Russell (as Russel) River, QLD; whereabouts unknown (other syntypes not found in NHRM), the beach near the mouth of Russell (as Russel) River, QLD.
Melomys australius Thomas, O. 1924. Some new Australasian Muridae. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 9 13: 296-299 [298].
Type data:
Holotype BMNH 15.3.5.51 ♀ skin & skull, Piara, QLD 20 m (altitude from skin label).
Melomys littoralis insulae Troughton, E. le G. & Le Souef, A.S. 1929. New forms of mosaic-tailed rats (Melomys and Uromys) from Hinchinbrook Island, Queensland. The Australian Zoologist 6: 96-99 [96].
Type data:
Holotype AM M4382 ♂ skin & skull, Hinchinbrook Is., QLD.
Melomys mixtus Troughton, E. le G. 1935. Five new rats of the genera Hydromys and Melomys from northern Australia. Records of the Australian Museum 19: 251-258 [257].
Type data:
Holotype AM M5397 ♂ skin & skull, Groote Eylandt, NT.
Melomys callopes Finlayson, H.H. 1943. A new Melomys from Queensland with notice of two other Queensland rats. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 66: 243-247 pls 8-9 [243].
Type data:
Holotype whereabouts unknown ♀ skin & skull not found in SAMA, about 30 miles SW of Duaringa, QLD.
Melomys cervinipes albiventer Kellogg, R. 1945. A new Australian naked-tailed rat (Melomys). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 58: 69-71 [69].
Type data:
Holotype USNM 237782 ♂ skin & skull, Douglas River, about 100 miles S of Port Darwin.
Type locality references:
Johnson, D.H. 1964. Mammals of the Arnhem Land Expedition. 427-515 pls 1-16 in Specht, R.L. (ed.). Records of the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land. Zoology. Parkville : Melbourne University Press Vol. 4 xvii 533 pp. [490].

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

Mahoney, J.A. in Walton, D.W. (ed.) 1988. Zoological Catalogue of Australia Volume 5. Mammalia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service x 274 pp. [Date published 13/Apr/1988] [161]

Generic Combinations

Melomys burtoni (Ramsay, 1887).

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Occurs on many offshore islands.

IBRA and IMCRA regions (map not available)

IBRA

NSW, NT, Qld, WA: Arnhem Coast (ARC), Arnhem Plateau (ARP), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Central Arnhem (CA), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Daly Basin (DAB), Darwin Coastal (DAC), Gulf Coastal (GUC), Northern Kimberley (NK), NSW North Coast (NNC), Pine Creek (PCK), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Tiwi Cobourg (TIW), Victoria Bonaparte (VB), Wet Tropics (WT)