Rattus ranjiniae Agrawal and Ghosal 1969

Rattus ranjiniae Agrawal and Ghosal 1969, Proc. Zool. Soc. Calcutta, 22: 41.

Type Locality: SW Indian Peninsula, India, Kerala State, Trivandrum.

Vernacular Names: Ranjini's Rat.

Distribution: Recorded only by specimens collected in rice fields from the districts of Trichur, Alleppy, and Trivandrum in the state of Kerala.

Conservation: IUCN – Vulnerable.

Discussion: Rattus species group unresolved. Still represented by few specimens. Information about the species is meager and contained in the original description and the review by Agrawal (2000). Study of two paratypes kindly loaned to Musser by Dr. S. Chakraborty revealed that R. ranjiniae is characterized by large claws relative to body size, very long and slender hind feet, large body size, long molar rows, small bullae, narrow incisive foramina, and a short bony plate that does not extend past the third molars. These traits combine in a morphology that is unique compared with all other species now placed in Rattus (a conclusion also endorsed by Corbet and Hill, 1992). Phylogenetic relationships of R. ranjiniae are unknown; this species probably should be removed from Rattus .