Uromys Peters 1867
Creators: name: Groves, C. P.
name: Flannery, Tim F.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 1994
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Muridae
Uromys

description: <i>Uromys</i> Peters, 1867 Type species. <i>Hapalotis caudimaculatus</i> Krefft, 1867. Revised generic diagnosis. The species of <i>Uromys</i> can be differentiated from all other murids in possessing the following combination of features: i) soft palate has between six and 12 irregular ridges in region between molar rows (Fig. 2); ii) palate extends posteriorly beyond posterior margin of M3; iii) lower incisors much deeper than wide; iv) anterolateral spine of bulla greatly expanded. Notes. McAllen &amp; Bruce (1989) suggest that <i>Melanomys</i> is a new generic name proposed by Winter (1983) for the species <i>hadrourus.</i> This name results from a typographical error in a reference, and in any case is preoccupied by <i>Melanomys</i> Thomas, 1902. The generic diagnosis differentiates <i>Uromys</i> from all other Muridae, including its close relatives <i>Solomys</i> and <i>Melomys,</i> with which it agrees in possessing a so-called mosaic tail (described, for example in Tate, 1951). Species of <i>Uromys</i> differ additionally from species of <i>Melomys</i> in their larger size, and from species of <i>Solomys</i> in lacking the latter's greatly thickened palate, and by the relatively larger, thicker incisors, more elongate basoccipital, and the posteriorly broadened palate. We transfer to <i>Uromys</i> two species previously referred to <i>Melomys (M porculus</i> and <i>M hadrourus),</i> and transfer <i>salamonis,</i> previously placed within <i>Uromys,</i> to <i>Solomys.</i> The Discriminant Analysis (Fig. 3) discriminated the quasi-specific samples on the basis of (first function, accounting for 42.5% of total variance) greatest skull length and snout length, and (second function, 35.9% of variance) overall size except for braincase breadth. A third function accounted for 12.3% of variance, but was an absolute size discriminator, distinguishing only <i>U. hadrourus</i> effectively. The two subgenera are not sharply distinguished by the analysis: <i>U. caudimaculatus,</i> <i>U. hadrourus</i> and <i>U. anak</i> are arrayed around one end of a linear clinal spread from <i>U. rex</i> via <i>U. porculus</i> to <i>U. imperator.</i> The result is difficult to interpret, but is consistent with our conclusions (below) that <i>U. rex</i> is the most autapomorphic species in <i>U. (Cyromys)</i> and that <i>U. anak</i> is less like other species of <i>U. (Uromys)</i> than is <i>U. neobritannicus.</i>
description: Published as part of <i>Groves, C. P. &amp; Flannery, Tim F., 1994, A revision of the genus Uromys Peters, 1867 (Muridae: Mammalia) with descriptions of two new species, pp. 145-169 in Records of the Australian Museum 46 (2)</i> on pages 147-148, DOI: 10.3853/j.0067-1975.46.1994.12, http://zenodo.org/record/4654701
description: {"references": ["Winter, lW., 1983. Thomton Peak Melomys. P. 379. In R. Strahan (ed.). The Complete Book of Australian Mammals. Angus &amp; Robertson, Sydney.", "Tate, G. H. H., 1951. Results of the Archbold Expeditions. No. 65. The rodents of Australia and New Guinea. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 97: 187 - 430."]}