The Guadalcanal rat (''Uromys porculus'') is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

in the family

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are either the largest or second-largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 870 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. ...

. It was found only in the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

. Since this species was collected between 1886 and 1888 it has not been seen again. It is possibly

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

Description

The only known skull of the Guadalcanal rat is clearly elongate and narrow, but has the molars so worn that few details of the crown remain. The details in the skull are described as similar to other members of the genus

Uromys ''Uromys'' is a genus of rodents found in Melanesia and Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the isl ...

, specifically '' Uromys rex'' and '' Uromus imperator.'' The species also had a very short tail, indicating it was possibly

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth, as opposed to extraterrestrial. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on o ...

History

The only known specimen of Guadacanal rat was described in 1904 by

Oldfield Thomas Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas (21 February 1858 – 16 June 1929) was a British zoologist. Career Thomas worked at the Natural History Museum, London, Natural History Museum on mammals, describing about 2,000 new species and subspecies for ...

, although it was most likely collected at or around the same time as similar species '' Uromys rex'' and '' Uromus imperator'' in the late 1880s. The species was registered in 1889 and was collected by

Charles Morris Woodford Charles Morris Woodford (30 October 1852 – 4 October 1927) was a British naturalist and government minister active in the Solomon Islands. He became the first Resident Commissioner of the Solomon Islands Protectorate, serving from 1896 (thr ...

at Aola village in the

. The species has not been seen since this collection and there is no local knowledge of the species, indicating it is most likely extinct.

Genus Name

When it was first named in 1904 by

, the Guadacanal rat was described as a species of ''Uromys''. Later, it was transferred to ''Melomys'', before being placed once again in ''Uromys'', once more in ''Melomys'', until it was returned to ''Uromys'' where it is currently placed.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q135130 Uromys Endemic fauna of the Solomon Islands Mammals of the Solomon Islands Rodents of Oceania Critically endangered fauna of Oceania Rodent extinctions since 1500 Mammals described in 1904 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas