Species Rattus exulans (Peale, 1848)
Pacific Rat, Polynesian Rat
Type data:
Lectotype USNM 3730 skin (skull not found in the USNM), Tahiti, Society Ils.
Paralectotype(s) whereabouts unknown (Poole, A.J. & Schantz, V.S. 1942. Catalog of the type specimen of mammals in the United States National Museum, including the Biological Survey Collection. Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus. 178: i–xiv 1–705 [462] failed to find the lectotypic skull in the USNM).- Mus browni Alston, E.R. 1877. On the rodents and marsupials collected by the Rev. G. Brown in Duke-of-York Island, New Britain, and New Ireland. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1877: 123-127 pls 18-19 [publication date established from Alston, E.R. 1878. Supplementary note on rodents and marsupials from Duke-of-York Island and New Ireland. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1877: 743–744 [743]] [123] [recorded from Australia by Taylor, J.M., Calaby, J.H. & Van Deusen, H.M. 1982. A revision of the genus Rattus (Rodentia, Muridae) in the New Guinean region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 173: 177–336 [277] as Rattus exulans browni (Alston)].
Type data:
Lectotype BMNH 77.7.18.26 ♀ skin & skull, Duke of York Is., Papua New Guinea.
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]
Generic Combinations
- Rattus exulans (Peale, 1848).
Distribution
States
Queensland, Western Australia
Extra Distribution Information
Adele Is., WA, Murray Is., Qld, Norfolk Is., Indochina, Micronesia, Polynesia.
Introduced from SW Pacific.
IBRA
Qld, WA: Dampierland (DL)
Other Regions
Norfolk Island terrestrial & freshwater, Torres Strait Islands terrestrial, marine & freshwater
Ecological Descriptors
Omnivore, peridomestic, terrestrial.
Extra Ecological Information
Diet mainly seeds, fruit, vegetable matter and insects, but known to take young birds and eggs.
General References
Bunn, T.J. & Craig, T.J. 1989. Population cycles of Rattus exulans: population changes, diet, and food availability. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 16: 409-418
Dwyer, P.D. 1978. A study of Rattus exulans (Peale) (Rodentia: Muridae) in the New Guinea Highlands. Australian Wildlife Research 5: 221-248
Gemmeke, von H. & Niethammer, J. 1984. Zur Taxonomie der Gattung Rattus (Rodentia, Muridae). Zeitschrift fur Säugetierkunde 49: 104-116
Matisoo-Smith, E. & Robins, J.H. 2004. Origins and dispersals of Pacific peoples: evidence from mtDNA phylogenies of the Pacific rat. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 101: 9167-9172
Pasteur, N., Worms, J., Tohari, M. & Iskandar, D. 1982. Genetic differentiation in Indonesian and French rats of the subgenus Rattus. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 10: 191-196
Storer, T.I. (ed.) 1962. Pacific Island Rat Ecology Report of a study made on Ponape and adjacent islands 1955–1958. Bulletin of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum 225: 1-274
Taylor, J.M. & Horner, B.E. 1973. Results of the Archbold Expeditions. No. 98. Systematics of native Australian Rattus (Rodentia, Muridae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 150: 1-130
Watts, C.H.S. 1995. Pacific Rat Rattus exulans. 650 in Strahan, R. (ed.). The Mammals of Australia: The National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife. Sydney : Reed New Holland 756 pp.
Wodzicki, K. & Taylor, R.H. 1984. Distribution and status of the polynesian rat Rattus exulans. Acta Zoologica Fennica 172: 99-101
Common Name References
ABRS 2001. Census of Australian Vertebrates. Australian Biological Resources Study. (Polynesian Rat)
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15-Feb-2024 | MURIDAE | 10-Feb-2024 | MODIFIED | |
| 04-Feb-2023 | 10-Dec-2010 | MOVED | ||
| 10-Dec-2010 | 10-Dec-2010 | MODIFIED | ||
| 12-Feb-2010 | (import) |