Species Notomys mitchellii (Ogilby, 1838)

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CAVS: 1480

Species Notomys mitchellii (Ogilby, 1838)

Mitchell's Hopping-mouse

Dipus mitchellii Ogilby, W. in Anon. 1838. Notice of certain Australian quadrupeds, belonging to the Order Rodentia. pp. 95–96 in Linnaean Society. London and Edinburgh Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science 3 12: 92-97 [96] [Anon. (op. cit.) is an abstract of Ogilby, W. 1838. Notice of certain Australian quadrupeds, belonging to the Order Rodentia. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 18: 121–132; AM 22 is specimen no. 22 of Bennett, G. 1837. A Catalogue of the Specimens of Natural History and Miscellaneous Curiosities, Deposited in the Australian Museum. Sydney : Australian Museum 71 pp. [5]; Mahoney, J.A. 1982. Identities of the rodents (Muridae) listed in T.L. Mitchell's 'Three expeditions into the interior of Eastern Australia, with descriptions of the recently explored region of Australia Felix, and of the present colony of New South Wales' (1st ed., 1838; 2nd ed., 1839). Australian Mammalogy 5: 15–36 [18–21] discusses the holotype and the publication dates of Anon. op. cit. and Ogilby, op. cit.].
Type data:
Holotype whereabouts unknown apparently AM 22 (not found in AM), about 12 km SE of Lake Boga, VIC.
Paratype(s) whereabouts unknown.
Type locality references:
Mitchell, T.L. 1838. Three Expeditions into the Interior of eastern Australia; with descriptions of the recently explored region of Australia Felix, and of the present colony of New South Wales. London : T. & W. Boone Vol. 1 [xxiv] 351 pp. 21pls. [map opposite p. 344].
Secondary source:
Bennett, G. 1837. A Catalogue of the Specimens of Natural History and Miscellaneous Curiosities, Deposited in the Australian Museum. Sydney : Australian Museum 71 pp.; Ogilby, W. 1838. Notice of certain Australian quadrupeds, belonging to the Order Rodentia. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 18: 121-132; Mahoney, J.A. 1982. Identities of the rodents (Muridae) listed in T.L. Mitchell's 'Three expeditions into the interior of Eastern Australia, with descriptions of the recently explored region of Australia Felix, and of the present colony of New South Wales' (1st ed., 1838; 2nd ed., 1839). Australian Mammalogy 5: 15-36.
Hapalotis richardsonii Gray, J.E. 1844. Beasts. pls18-22, 25-29 in Richardson, J. & Gray, J.E. (1844–1875). (eds). The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Erebus & Terror, under the Command of Captain Sir James Clark Ross, R.N., F.R.S., during the years 1839 to 1843. Mammalia, birds. London : E.W. Janson Vol. 1. [plate 21, 28 and 29, three of ten Beasts plates (18–22, 25–29) that illustrate Gray, J.E. 1875. Miscellanea. pp. 12a–12d in Richardson, J. & Gray, J.E. (1844–1875) (eds). The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Erebus & Terror, under the Command of Captain Sir James Clark Ross, R.N., F.R.S., during the years 1839 to 1843. Mammalia, birds. London : E.W. Janson Vol. 1; the plates do not have a date printed on them; Tomes, R.F. 1857. On the species of bats inhabiting New Zealand. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1857: 134–142 pls 53–54 [138], Dobson, G.E. 1975. On the genus Scotophilus, with description of a new genus and species allied thereto. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1875: 368–373 [372] and Tate, G.H.H. 1941. Results of the Archbold Expeditions. No. 40 Notes on vespertilionid bats of the subfamilies Miniopterinae, Murininae, Kerivoulinae, and Nyctophilinae. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 78: 567–597 [595] record the date of Beasts plates 20 (Dobson), 21 (Tate) and 22 (Tomes) as 1844; in contrast to Tomes op. cit., Dobson op. cit. and Tate op. cit., Thomas, O. 1888. Catalogue of the Marsupialia and Monotremata in the Collection of the British Museum (Natural History). London : British Museum xiii 401 pp. 28 pls [3 Nov. 1888] [277] writes that the Beasts plates were prepared in 1845, but although they were seen privately and quoted by several authors long before, their 'real publication' only took place in 1875; Saunders, J. 1875. List of the Books, Memoirs, and Miscellaneous Papers by Dr. John Edward Gray, F.R.S. with a few Historical Notes. London : Taylor & Francis (Printers) 58 pp. [19] records Gray's work no. 278 as 'Figures of new species of Australian Mammalia. Zool. Ereb. and Terror, 1844, 4 to.' and on the basis of this information the publication date of Beasts plate 21, 28 and 29 is taken by Mahoney, J.A. in Walton, D.W. (ed.) 1988. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 5 Mammalia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service x 274 pp. [155, 169], as 1844; early authors who cite Beasts plates include Gunn, R.C. 1852. A list of the mammals indigenous to Tasmania. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of. Van Diemen's Land 2: 77–90 [Beasts plates 19, 21, 25 cited on pp. 78, 82], Gould, J. 1858. The Mammals of Australia. Pt 10. London : J. Gould (Beasts plate 20 cited on unnumbered page of text entitled Scotophilus greyi, Gray. Grey's Scotophilus.) and Peters, W. 1861. Über die Chiropterengattung Nyctophilus. Phys. Abh. K. Akad. Wiss. Berl. 1860: 123–137 1 pl. (Beasts plate 21 cited on p. 125); Saunders, J. op. cit., p. 1 states that the List of the Books, Memoirs, and Miscellaneous Papers by Dr. John Edward Grey was commenced by Gray himself in the latter part of 1871 and the papers which he (Saunders) added were those published in 1874–75; Gray died on 7th March, 1875; Gould's collector in Western Australia in 1843 was J. Gilbert; a label attached to the skin of the holotype has the date 20th March, 1843 inscribed on it and this is three days later than the date that Whittell, H.M. 1942. A review of the work of John Gilbert in Western Australia. Part III. Emu 41: 289–305 [295] gives for Gilbert's return to Fremantle from Houtman Abrolhos, W. Australia] [pl. 28].
Type data:
Holotype BMNH 43.8.21.3 & 43.9.2.1 skin (43.8.21.3) & skull (BMNH 43.9.2.1), Swan River, WA.
Type locality references:
Thomas, O. 1921. Notes on the species of Notomys, the Australian jerboa-rats. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 9 8: 536-541 [538].
Hapalotis gouldi Gould, J. 1863. The Mammals of Australia. London : J. Gould Part 13. [xxxv] [as H. gouldii of Gray; primary homonym of Hapalotis gouldii Gray, 1843; Hapalotis gouldii of Gray, sensu Gould loc. cit. is the nom. nud. Hapalotis gouldii of Gray, J.E. 1841. Contributions towards the geographical distribution of the Mammalia in Australia, with notes on some recently discovered species, in a letter addressed to the Author. Appendix C. pp. 397–414 in Grey, G. (ed). Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-west and Western Australia During the Years 1837, 38, and 39, Under the Authority of Her Majesty's Government. Describing many newly discovered, important, and fertile districts, with observations on the moral and physical condition of the aboriginal inhabitants, &c. &c. London : T. & W. Boone Vol. 2 vii 482 pp. [404, 413]].
Type data:
Lectotype BMNH 7.1.1.135 skin & skull, southwestern WA; as Western Australia by Thomas (1921: 538).
Type locality references:
Thomas, O. 1921. Notes on the species of Notomys, the Australian jerboa-rats. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 9 8: 536-541.
Secondary source:
Gray, J.E. 1841. Contributions towards the geographical distribution of the Mammalia in Australia, with notes on some recently discovered species, in a letter addressed to the Author. Appendix C. pp. 397-414 in Grey, G. (ed.). Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-west and Western Australia During the Years 1837, 38, and 39, Under the Authority of Her Majesty's Government. Describing many newly discovered, important, and fertile districts, with observations on the moral and physical condition of the aboriginal inhabitants, &c. &c. London : T. & W. Boone Vol. 2 vii 482 pp. [Date published Nov. 1841].
Notomys mitchellii macropus Thomas, O. 1921. Notes on the species of Notomys, the Australian jerboa-rats. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 9 8: 536-541 [540] [as Notomys mitchelli macropus].
Type data:
Holotype BMNH 55.12.24.361 skin & skull (the registration number, BMNH 55.12.34.361, recorded by Thomas, op. cit. for the holotype is incorrect), SA (as South Australia — believed to be Kangaroo Is.).
Type locality references:
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] [169-170] (neither Inns, R.W., Aitken, P.F. & Ling, J.K. 1979. Mammals. pp. 91–102 in Tyler, M.J., Twidale, C.R. & Ling, J.K. (eds). Natural History of Kangaroo Island. Adelaide : Royal Society of South Australia, nor Pledge. N.S. 1979. Fossil vertebrates. pp. 123–127 in Tyler, M.J., Twidale, C.R. & Ling, J.K. (eds). Natural History of Kangaroo Island. Adelaide : Royal Society of South Australia include Notomys among the genera found on Kangaroo Island and so it seems more likely that the holotype comes from the South Australian mainland, where N. mitchelii is known to occur).
Notomys mitchellii alutacea Brazenor, C.W. 1934. A revision of the Australian jerboa mice. Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria, Melbourne 8: 74-89 pls 5-7 [79] [as Notomys mitchelli alutacea].
Type data:
Holotype NMV C38 ♀ skin & skull, Ooldea, SA.

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] [169]

Generic Combinations

Notomys mitchellii (Ogilby, 1838).

Distribution

States

South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Apparently extinct in NSW.

IBRA and IMCRA regions (map not available)

IBRA

SA, Vic, WA: Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Coolgardie (COO), Central Ranges (CR), Eyre Yorke Block (EYB), Gawler (GAW), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Great Victoria Desert (GVD), Hampton (HAM), Jarrah Forest (JF), Mallee (MAL), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Murchison (MUR), Nullarbor (NUL), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Yalgoo (YAL)