Daovantien’s limestone rat (''Tonkinomys daovantieni'') is a genus of

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are the largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 1,383 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. The name Muridae come ...

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 na ...

native to

northeastern Vietnam Đông Bắc (literally "Northeast" from ) is the region to the north of the Red River Delta in Vietnam, bordering China. It is called ''Northeast'' to distinguish it from the Tây Bắc () or "Northwest", but it is actually in the north and north ...

. It was first discovered in a forested talus habitat in the Huu Lien Nature Reserve,

Lang Son Province Lang may refer to: *Lang (surname), a surname of independent Germanic or Chinese origin Places * Lang Island (Antarctica), East Antarctica * Lang Nunatak, Antarctica * Lang Sound, Antarctica * Lang Park, a stadium in Brisbane, Australia * Lang, ...

. It is the only known species in the genus ''Tonkinomys''.

Description

The genus is destiguished from other Indomalayan murids by "semispinous, dense, grayish black fur covering upperparts; a dark gray venter; gray ears; a thick, bicolored tail considerably shorter than length of head and body; and large, extremely bulbous footpads". Its body size, build and some cranial features were described as similar to the species ''

Leopoldamys neilli Neill's long-tailed giant rat (''Leopoldamys neilli'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and possibly Myanmar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and rocky areas. ''L ...

'' found in Thailand. Other cranial features as well as molar occlusal patterns resemble species of the ''

Niviventer ''Niviventer'' is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae endemic to Southeast Asia. It contains the following species: * Anderson's white-bellied rat, ''Niviventer andersoni'' * Brahma white-bellied rat, ''Niviventer brahma'' * '' Niviventer ...

'', '' Chiromyscus'', and ''

Saxatilomys ''Saxatilomys paulinae'' is a species of murid rodent native to central Laos and Vietnam, separated to a monotypic genus ''Saxatilomys''. It was first discovered in the Khammouan Limestone National Biodiversity Conservation Area in Khammouan Pr ...

'' genera native to the Indomalayan region.

Habitat

The genus is petricolous, meaning it lives in a rocky habitat, and was found only in talus composed of large

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

blocks. It is thought that its distribution in the Huu Lien Nature reserve is patchy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daovantien's limestone rat Old World rats and mice Rodent genera Taxa named by Guy Musser