Melomys arcium (Thomas 1913)

[Melomys] arcium (Thomas 1913), Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, 12: 214.

Type Locality: Papua New Guinea, Louisiade Arch., Rossel Isl.

Vernacular Names: Rossel Island Melomys.

Distribution: Endemic to Rossel Isl, 50- 700 m.

Discussion: Originally described as a species of Uromys, treated as a subspecies of M. leucogaster by Rümmler (1938), Musser and Carleton (1993), and Flannery (1995 b), but retained as a species by Laurie and Hill (1954) and Menzies (1996). Melomys arcium is closely related to M. leucogaster (Menzies, 1996, and our study of the holotype and AMNH 159597-159600), and Flannery (1995 b:135) wrote that although closely related to M. leucogaster, it may represent "a distinct species." Flannery (1995 b:135) noted that most islands off the E coast of Papua New Guinea in Milne Bay have been heavily surveyed and neither M. leucogaster nor M. arcium has been found, "Therefore it seems likely that it is found only on Rossel among the Milne Bay Islands. This is very unusual, because Rossel is the most distant of the Louisiade Group from New Guinea. Presumably, it did exist previously on other islands of the group, but has become extinct on all except Rossel.".