Protochromys fellowsi (Hinton 1943)

[Melomys] fellowsi Hinton 1943, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 11, 10: 554.

Type Locality: Papua New Guinea, Purari-Ramu Divide, Baiyanka, 8000 ft (2440 m).

Vernacular Names: Papuan Protochromys.

Distribution: Papua New Guinea; known only from a few places at high elevations (usually above 2000 m) in the Central Cordillera, from the Porgera area in the west (143 EE) eastward to Mt Wilhelm in the Bismarck Range in the east (see Flannery, 1995 a:292); may range farther west and east in Papua New Guinea (Menzies, 1996).

Conservation: IUCN – Vulnerable as Melomys fellowsi .

Discussion: Originally described as a very distinctive species of Melomys that resembles M. rufescens and M. leucogaster in some morphometric features (Menzies, 1990). Its inclusion in Melomys has always been questioned by systematists familiar with the group. Recently, Menzies (1996) demonstrated that while fellowsi shared traits with both Melomys and Paramelomys, it should be separated from both groups of species because of its pale (unpigmented to pale yellow) incisors, narrow zygomatic plate, and alisphenoid strut. Its separation as a different monophyletic entity will have to be tested by phylogenetic analyses of the Melomys-Paramelomys complex that also incorporate molecular data and a broader array of morphological traits.