Millet's leopoldamys
Millet's leopoldamys (Leopoldamys milleti) is a species of rodent from the family Muridae. It lives in the Langbian highlands of southern Vietnam, although its distribution limits are currently unresolved.[1] It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, and though only a handful of museum specimens signify its existence, it is presumed to have a high, stable population.[1] There are no apparent major threats to the species, and it occurs in a number of protected Vietnamese areas.[1] Millet's leopoldamys is a large, terrestrial omnivore that prefers montane forest, but is tolerant of secondary forest.[1]
| Millet's leopoldamys | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Leopoldamys |
| Species: | L. milleti |
| Binomial name | |
| Leopoldamys milleti Robinson & Kloss, 1922 | |
Millet's leopoldamys was originally recognized in 1922 by Herbert Christopher Robinson and Cecil Boden Kloss as a "remarkably distinct race" of Edwards's long-tailed giant rat.[2] It remained described as such, while the Edwards's long-tailed giant rat went back and forth between the genera Rattus and Leopoldamys.[2] However, Millet's leopoldamys is distinct from Edwards's long-tailed giant rat by its much darker dorsal pelage and larger bullae.[2] Robinson and Kloss later noted that Millet's leopoldamys had a similar appearance to Bower's white-toothed rat, and a more recent specimen was initially identified as such.[2]
References
- Lunde, D. & Aplin, K. (2008). "Leopoldamys milleti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 25 June 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Musser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1347. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.