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HOME --> CLASS MAMMALIA
--> ORDER RODENTIA
--> SUBORDER MYOMORPHA
--> SUPERFAMILY Muroidea
--> FAMILY Muridae
--> SUBFAMILY Murinae
GENUS Bunomys
| Author: | Thomas, 1910. | | Citation: | Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, 6: 508. | | Type Species: | Mus coelestis Thomas, 1896. | | Comments: | RattusDivision. Usually considered a Sulawesi endemic, although the Nusa Tenggaran naso has been referred to Bunomys (Corbet and Hill, 1992). Recognized as a genus until the 1930s (Tate, 1936), subsequently included in Rattus (Ellerman, 1941; Simpson, 1945; Laurie and Hill, 1954; Misonne, 1969), finally treated as separate genus (Musser and Newcomb, 1983; Musser, 1984, 1987a, 1991; Musser and Carleton, 1993; Corbet and Hill, 1991, 1992; Pavlinov et al., 1995a). Phylogenetic relationships unresolved, but member of Sulawesi New Endemics. Spermatozoal morphology distinctive although some species resemble the spermatozoal configuration in Rattus, which reflects shared primitive features (Breed and Musser, 1991). Kitchener et al. (1991a) considered Bunomys a very close relative of Paulamys, a Flores endemic; both are ecological if not morphological equivalents (Kitchener et al., 1998; Musser et al., 1986). Analysis of microcomplement fixation of albumin (Baverstock and Watts, 1994b) indicated Bunomys (based on B. chrysocomus) belongs in a "Rattus like" clade; may be most closely related to Rattus timorensis, and Komodomys rintjanus in Nusa Tenggara (Lesser Sunda Isls); and could be polyphyletic, although their division of species is discordant from the two groups identified below based on morphometric traits. Geographic and altitudinal distributions of species and association with different forest formations summarized by Musser and Dagosto (1987), Musser (1991), and Musser and Holden (1991). Sulawesi species can be morphologically divided into two clusters, the B. chrysocomus Group (B. chrysocomus, B. coelestis, and B. prolatus), and the B. fratrorum Group (B. andrewsi, B. fratrorum, B. penitus, and an undescribed species from C Sulawesi). Information in the following accounts derive from published sources and a revision of the genus by Musser (ms), in which the new species from C Sulawesi will be described. Grandidier (1905:50) proposed Bunomys for a Madagascar rat, and Sody (1941:260) used Frateromys, but the former is a nomina nudum. |
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