The long-nosed paramelomys (''Paramelomys naso'') is a species of rodent of 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 ...

endemic to

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

. It is found in the lowlands of the south of the country.

Classification

''P. naso'' is very similar to ''

Paramelomys levipes The long-nosed mosaic-tailed rat or Papuan lowland paramelomys (''Paramelomys levipes'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, ...

'', and was originally classed as a synonym of ''Melomys levipes lorentzii'', then a subspecies of ''Melomys levipes''. In 1996 the genus ''

Melomys ''Melomys'' is a genus of rodents in the family Muridae. Members of this genus live in the wet habitats of northern Australia ( Far North Queensland), New Guinea, Torres Strait Islands and islands of the Indonesian archipelago. Species The ge ...

'' was redefined and ''Paramelomys'' was upgraded from a

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

, creating the species ''Paramelomys naso'' and ''Paramelomys levipes''. They are distinguished by ''P. naso's'' slightly wider

molars The molars or molar teeth are large, flat teeth at the back of the mouth. They are more developed in mammals. They are used primarily to grind food during chewing. The name ''molar'' derives from Latin, ''molaris dens'', meaning "millstone to ...

Appearance

''P. naso'' has a head and body length of 168–188 mm; its tail is between 121–132 mm. The fur is short and smooth, upper parts are brown, the dorsal part of the head is grey and the ventral parts are grey/white. The tail is black with one hair per tail scale.

Habitat

The species is common throughout south and west-central New Guinea in

Papua Province Papua is a province of Indonesia, comprising the northern coast of Western New Guinea together with island groups in Cenderawasih Bay to the west. It roughly follows the borders of Papuan customary region of Tabi Saireri. It is bordered by the ...

, and on Wokam Island in the

Aru Islands The Aru Islands Regency ( id, Kabupaten Kepulauan Aru) is a group of about 95 low-lying islands in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia. It also forms a regency of Maluku Province, with a land area of . At the 2011 Census the Regency had a po ...

. It lives in subtropical/tropical lowland forest up to an altitude of 1000 m.

Preservation

''Paramelomys naso'' is listed as least concern 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 ...

. It has a wide distribution, a large population, no real threats, and seems tolerant to loss of habitat caused by logging and palm forest expansion. However, it has been suggested that further studies are needed to determine if the species would be vulnerable to heavy disturbance.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q65342 Paramelomys Rats of Asia Endemic fauna of Papua New Guinea Rodents of Papua New Guinea Mammals described in 1911 Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas