Melomys capensis Tate 1951

Melomys capensis Tate 1951, Bull. Am. Mus . Nat. Hist., 97: 295.

Type Locality: Australia, Queensland, Nesbit River, Rocky Scrub (east of Coen), 1500 ft (457 m).

Vernacular Names: Cape York Melomys.

Distribution: Australia, Queensland, Iron and McIlwraith Ranges of Cape York (north of Cooktown).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Originally described as a subspecies of M. cervinipes by Tate (1951:295), but separated as a distinct species by Baverstock et al. (1980) based on differences in blood proteins; otherwise, M. capensis and M. cervinipes are similar in morphological traits and body size (Watts and Aslin, 1981:82). Other allozymic results presented by Baverstock et al. (1981). Reviewed by Leung (1995), who also presented the first detailed ecological study of the species (Leung, 1999 a).