''Papagomys'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of very large rats in the tribe
Rattini of the subfamily
Murinae
The Old World rats and mice, part of the subfamily Murinae in the family Muridae, comprise at least 519 species. Members of this subfamily are called murines. In terms of species richness, this subfamily is larger than all mammal families excep ...
, with body masses of .
It contains two species, which are known only from the Indonesian island of
Flores
Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Administratively, it forms the largest island in the East Nusa Tenggara Province. The area is 14,250 km2. Including Komodo and Rinca islands ...
:
*
Flores giant rat ''Papagomys armandvillei''
*
Verhoeven's giant rat ''Papagomys theodorverhoeveni'' (possibly extinct, only known from subfossil remains)
A possible unnamed third species is also known from subfossil remains.
Both species have records extending to the early
Late Pleistocene
The Late Pleistocene is an unofficial Age (geology), age in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, also known as the Upper Pleistocene from a Stratigraphy, stratigraphic perspective. It is intended to be the fourth division ...
.
The species are thought to be terrestrial, preferring closed habitats, with ''P. armandvillei'' known to engage in burrowing. They are thought to be omnivores, consuming leaves, fruit and invertebrates.
See also
* ''
Mallomys
''Mallomys'' is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae. The name of the genus is formed from the Greek language, Greek μαλλός, ''mallos'', wool, and μῦς, ''mus'', mouse/rat. These very large rats weigh between and are native to highl ...
'' a genus of giant rat known from New Guinea
References
Literature cited
*Aplin, K.P. and Helgen, K.M. 2010. Quaternary murid rodents of Timor. Part I: New material of ''Coryphomys buehleri'' Schaub, 1937, and description of a second species of the genus. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 341:1–80.
*
*Zijlstra, J.S., Hoek Ostende, L.W. van den and Due, R.A. 2008
Verhoeven's giant rat of Flores (''Papagomys theodorverhoeveni'', Muridae) extinct after all?Contributions to Zoology 77(1):25–31.
Rodent genera
Mammal genera with one living species
Taxa named by Henri Jacob Victor Sody
{{Murinae-stub