Paramelomys levipes (Thomas 1897)

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Muridae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 1189-1531 : 1432

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.7316535

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11335255

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/798F5570-B5AF-ED60-8792-33FC1B36050F

treatment provided by

Guido

scientific name

Paramelomys levipes (Thomas 1897)
status

 

Paramelomys levipes (Thomas 1897) View in CoL

[Uromys] levipes Thomas 1897 , Ann. Mus . Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova, 18: 617.

Type Locality: New Guinea, Papua New Guinea, Central Province, Sogeri Plateau, Haveri, 700 m (additional information provided by Laurie and Hill, 1954:121, and Menzies, 1989).

Vernacular Names: Papuan Lowland Paramelomys.

Distribution: Papua New Guinea, S Central Province; the only specimens we have seen are from the Sogeri Plateau and Astrolabe Range near Port Moresby, below about 700 m. Leary and Seri (1997) reported two examples at Omo (06°58'41" S 144°18'15" E), 170 m in the Kikori River Basin in S Papua New Guinea. Menzies (1996:415) gave the range as "Lowlands of eastern New Guinea, probably not over 1200 m. Lack of specimens prevents defining precise distribution.".

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc) as Melomys levipes .

Discussion: A lectotype was designated by Menzies (1989), but Rümmler (1938) had already indicated which of Thomas' two cotypes should be considered the holotype. Our examination of series indicated that true P. levipes is documented by the holotype and Tate's (1951:291) series from Baruari and Itiki in the Astrolabe Range (other material Tate listed as P. levipes are examples of either P. platyops or P. mollis ). All other records usually associated with P. levipes ( Laurie and Hill, 1954; Tate, 1951) represent either Mammelomys lanosus and M. rattoides or Paramelomys lorentzii and P. mollis . In morphology and altitudinal distribution, P. levipes is morphologically very similar to P. naso from SW lowlands of Prov. of Papua (= Irian Jaya) and may represent the SE Papuan New Guinea relative of that species. A skull only from New Britain ( AMNH 194397) is cranially and dentally similar to P. levipes , but has slightly wider molars. Flannery (1995 b) also examined that specimen and referred it to P. levipes . Neither Flannery nor we are sure about this identification; better material and a larger series are needed to determine actual identity of the skull.

AMNH

American Museum of Natural History

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Rodentia

Family

Muridae

Genus

Paramelomys

Loc

Paramelomys levipes (Thomas 1897)

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn 2005
2005
Loc

[Uromys] levipes

Thomas 1897: 617
1897
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