Oriental House Rat

distribution

Distribution: Widely distributed in East and South Asia, and Southern Myanmar.

Mammals of Myanmar: an annotated checklist

discussion

Discussion: Rattus rattus species group. The authority is usually cited as 1845, but was published in 1844 (Holthuis and Sakai, 1970). The name tanezumi is the oldest for the 2 n = 42 group of Asian houserats that is distinguished from the 2 n = 38 / 40 R. rattus not only by chromosomal characters but also morphological and biochemical traits (see account of R. rattus). The probable indigenous range is generally north and east of peninsular India (judged by Musser’s study of material in AMNH, BMNH, FMNH, MZB, RMNH, USNM, and geographic distribution of karyotypes with 2 n = 42; Duncan and Van Peenen, 1971; Gadi and Sharma, 1983; Markvong et al., 1973; Niethammer, 1975; Niethammer and Martens, 1975; Ray-Chaudhuri and Pathak, 1970; Raman and Sharma, 1974, 1977; Gill and Gupta, 1989; Tripathy et al., 1985; Yong, 1969; Yosida et al., 1971). In the southern portion of the Western Ghats (along SW peninsula in Karnataka and Maharashtra States) at Sagar, three individuals trapped in forest exhibited 2 n = 42, and three from a nearby " domestic site " had 2 n = 38. The former diploid number was attributed to R. r. wroughtoni and the latter to R. r. rufescens (Lakhotia et al., 1973; Pradhan e

Order Rodentia - Family Muridae

distribution

Distribution: Apparently indigenous to SE Asia, from E Afghanistan (Niethammer and Martens, 1975) through C and S Nepal (below about 2000 m), Bhutan, N India, N Bangladesh and NE India into S and C China (including Hainan Isl), Korea, and mainland Indochina (including offshore islands) south to Isthmus of Kra; also probably native to Mergui Arch.; not found in the Andaman Isls and most of the Nicobar Isls. Whether native or introduced to Taiwan and Japan is unknown (but see Yosida and Harada, 1985; Japanese distribution reviewed by Kaneko, 1994). Most likely introduced to the Malay Peninsula and islands on the Sunda Shelf (Medway and Yong, 1976) and nearby archipelagos just off of the Shelf, including the Mentawais (Musser and Califia, 1982; Musser and Newcomb, 1983) and Nicobar Isls (the only museum records are the holotype of pulliventer from Great Nicobar Isl described by Miller, 1902, and BMNH 20.3.1907 from Little Nicobar Isl; Musser’s identifications). Certainly introduced to the Philippines (Musser, 1977 a; Heaney et al., 1998, summarized records), Sulawesi (Musser and Holden, 1991), and numerous islands east through the Moluccas and Nusa Tenggara (Flannery, 1995 b; Musser,

Order Rodentia - Family Muridae

materials_examined

Type Locality: Japan, possibly from near Nagasaki on Kyushu Isl (see Jones and Johnson, 1965).

Order Rodentia - Family Muridae