Melomys rubicola Thomas 1924

Melomys rubicola Thomas 1924, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 9, 13: 298.

Type Locality: Australia, Queensland, Torres Strait, Bramble Cay, about 9ES, 144EE; see Mahoney and Richardson (1988:163).

Vernacular Names: Bramble Cay Melomys.

Distribution: Australia; endemic to Bramble Cay at the extreme N end of the Great Barrier Reef of Queensland (Limpus et al., 1983).

Conservation: IUCN – Critically Endangered.

Discussion: Studies of blood proteins and morphology suggested M. rubicola was closely related to M. capensis, which is endemic to Cape York in N Queensland (Limpus et al., 1983). Structure of sperm head described by Breed (1984). Reviewed by Watts (1995 g).