Millet's leopoldamys (''Leopoldamys milleti'') 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 na ...

from the family

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 ...

. It lives in the Langbian highlands of southern

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, although its distribution limits are currently unresolved. It 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 ...

on 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 ...

, and though only a handful of museum specimens signify its existence, it is presumed to have a high, stable population. There are no apparent major threats to the species, and it occurs in a number of protected Vietnamese areas. Millet's leopoldamys is a large, terrestrial

omnivore An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutr ...

that prefers

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

, but is tolerant of

secondary forest A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. ...

. Millet's leopoldamys was originally recognized in 1922 by

Herbert Christopher Robinson Herbert Christopher Robinson (4 November 1874 – 20 May 1929) was a British zoologist and ornithologist. He is principally known for conceiving and initiating the major ornithological reference '' The Birds of the Malay Peninsula''. Robinson ...

and

Cecil Boden Kloss Cecil Boden Kloss (28 March 1877 – 19 August 1949) was an English zoologist. He was an expert on the mammals and birds of Southeast Asia. The Rubiaceae genus '' Klossia'' was named after him. Kloss was born in a family of Dutch descent who liv ...

as a "remarkably distinct race" of

Edwards's long-tailed giant rat Edwards's long-tailed giant rat (''Leopoldamys edwardsi'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), offi ...

. It remained described as such, while the Edwards's long-tailed giant rat went back and forth between the

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

Rattus ''Rattus'' is a genus of muroid rodents, all typically called rats. However, the term rat can also be applied to rodent species outside of this genus. Species and description The best-known ''Rattus'' species are the black rat (''R. rattus'') ...

'' and ''

Leopoldamys ''Leopoldamys'' is a genus of rodents in the family Muridae endemic to Southeast Asia. It contains the following species: * Sundaic mountain long-tailed giant rat (''Leopoldamys ciliatus'') * '' Leopoldamys diwangkarai'' * Edwards's long-taile ...

''. However, Millet's leopoldamys is distinct from Edwards's long-tailed giant rat by its much darker

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal co ...

pelage Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily #Guard hair, guard hair on top and thick #Down hair, underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as ...

and larger bullae. Robinson and Kloss later noted that Millet's leopoldamys had a similar appearance to Bower's white-toothed rat, and a more recent specimen was initially identified as such.

References

Rats of Asia Leopoldamys Endemic fauna of Vietnam Rodents of Vietnam Taxa named by C. Boden Kloss {{Murinae-stub

See also

References