Mammelomys lanosus (Thomas 1922)

[Melomys] lanosus Thomas 1922, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 9, 9: 263.

Type Locality: New Guinea, Prov. of Papua (= Irian Jaya), Doormanpad-bivak (3°30'S, 138°30'E), 2400 m.

Vernacular Names: Highland Mammelomys.

Synonyms: Mammelomys shawmayeri Rümmler 1935 .

Distribution: Mountain forests (above 1000-1500 m) of N New Guinea; from the type locality in Prov. of Papua (= Irian Jaya) eastward along Central Cordillera through the Telefomin region, Schrader Range, Kratke Mtns, and Mt Hagen region to the Wau area of Papua New Guinea; also from Cyclops Range in the northern coastal mountains; not recorded from Huon Peninsula.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Once treated as a subspecies of Paramelomys levipes, lanosus is a separate species (Flannery, 1990 b; Menzies, 1996). It is unrelated to P. levipes, but instead is phylogenetically allied with Mammelomys rattoides, a larger-bodied species that displaces it in lower altitudes. This close association was also reflected in Menzies' (1990) similarity coefficient analysis and his later systematic revision (Menzies, 1996). Flannery (1990 b) listed shawmayeri as a synonym of M. rattoides, but holotype is an example of M. lanosus (Menzies, 1996; Musser’s study of type series in BMNH).