''Paulamys'' 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 rat. Its only known member is ''Paulamys naso'' a species

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to Flores Island,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. ''Paulamys naso'' was first described from

subfossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

fragments collected in the 1950s by Theodor Verhoeven and was named ''Floresomys naso'' by

Guy Musser Guy Graham Musser (August 10, 1936 – October 2019) was an American zoologist. His main research was in the field of the rodent subfamily Murinae, in which he has described many new species. Musser was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended ...

in 1981. Since ''Floresomys'' was preoccupied, Musser changed the name to ''Paulamys'', after Verhoeven's life partner Paula Hamerlinck. A living specimen was reported from the

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

of western Flores in 1989. It is recorded as common between above sea level on the volcanic mountain Gunung Ranakah, but is believed to be threatened by

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

. It is thought to prefer closed habitats. The genera ''

Papagomys ''Papagomys'' is a genus of very large rats in the tribe Rattini of the subfamily Murinae, with body masses of . It contains two species, which are known only from the Indonesian island of Flores: * Flores giant rat ''Papagomys armandvillei'' * ...

'', ''

Komodomys The Komodo rat (''Komodomys rintjanus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae endemic to the surrounding islands of Flores in Indonesia (including Komodo, Lembata, and Pantar), and formerly Flores itself. Its natural habitat is subtrop ...

'' and ''Paulamys'' are closer related to each other than to other murids, suggesting an adaptive radiation. It is a relatively small-sized species, with a body mass of around It is suggested to be an omnivore, consuming fungus and invertebrates, and to engage in burrowing.

References

Old World rats and mice Mammals of Indonesia Mammals described in 1981 Rodents of Flores Monotypic rodent genera Taxa named by Guy Musser {{murinae-stub