Conilurus Ogilby 1838

Conilurus Ogilby 1838, Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond., 18: 124.

Type Species: Conylurus constructor Ogilby 1837

Synonyms: Conylurus Ogilby 1837; Hapalotis Lichtenstein 1829 .

Species and subspecies: 2 species:

Species Conilurus albipes (Lichtenstein 1829)

Species Conilurus penicillatus Gould 1842

Discussion: Pseudomys Division. Member of the Australian Old Endemics (Musser, 1981 c) that is phylogenetically closely allied to Mesembriomys (Watts et al., 1992) . Conilurus was also considered a phylogenetic ally of Leporillus (Watts et al., 1992), but that conclusion was based on one-way microcomplement fixation of albumin reactions and is unsupported by more recent analyses using DNA sequences that group Leporillus with Pseudomys and its relatives (K. Alpin, in litt., 2004). Watts and Baverstock (1994 a) included Conilurus within a larger clade, the Hydromyini (incorporating Conilurini where Conilurus has usually been placed; Baverstock, 1984), which encompassed members of our Hydromys, Xeromys, Pseudomys, and Uromys Divisions (the "Australasian clade" of Watts and Baverstock, 1995 b, 1996). Mahoney and Richardson (1988:154) cataloged taxonomic, distributional, and biological references, and explained that the name Conilurus should be maintained because it is in general use and the valid older name Conylurus is an unused senior synonym.