Dollman's melomys (''Melomys dollmani'') is a species of
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...
from the family
Muridae. It lives in the eastern highlands of
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
at an elevation of at least and on the slopes of
Mount Hagen
Mount Hagen ( tpi, Maun Hagen) is the third largest city in Papua New Guinea, with a population of 46,250. It is the capital of the Western Highlands Province and is located in the large fertile Wahgi Valley in central mainland Papua New Guinea, ...
and
Mount Sisa.
However, it is not found east of the Okapa area.
[ It is an arboreal species occurring in montane secondary and degraded forest, preferring moist tropical environments.] Formerly considered to be a subspecies of the black-tailed mosaic-tailed rat
The black-tailed mosaic-tailed rat (''Melomys rufescens'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to the island of New Guinea.
Names
It is known as alks in the Kalam language of Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (a ...
, the Dollman's melomys is also often listed as its binomial synonym, ''Melomys gracilis''. The melomys is listed as Least Concern
A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...
by the IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
due to its wide range, lack of threats, and tolerance of disturbance.
See also
* Black-tailed mosaic-tailed rat
The black-tailed mosaic-tailed rat (''Melomys rufescens'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to the island of New Guinea.
Names
It is known as alks in the Kalam language of Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (a ...
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2600774
Melomys
Rodents of New Guinea
Rodents of Papua New Guinea
Mammals described in 1935
Taxa named by Hans Rümmler