Florida Naked-tailed Rat
Encyclopedia
The Florida Naked-tailed Rat (Solomys salamonis) is a poorly known and possible extinct species of rodent
in the family Muridae
. It was confined to the Nggela Islands (previously known as Florida Islands) in the Solomon Islands
. The originally mentioned type locality Ugi Island
is an erratum.
during the HMS Cormorant
expedition to the Solomon Islands in 1881. Surveys in 1987 and in 1991 failed to find any specimens and the Nggela Islands are badly deforestated.
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
in the family Muridae
Muridae
Muridae is the largest family of mammals. It contains over 600 species found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. They have been introduced worldwide. The group includes true mice and rats, gerbils, and relatives....
. It was confined to the Nggela Islands (previously known as Florida Islands) in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. The originally mentioned type locality Ugi Island
Ugi Island
Ugi Island is an island in the Solomon Islands; it is located in Makira-Ulawa Province....
is an erratum.
Description
The Florida Naked-tailed Rat is the smallest species within the genus Solomys. It has a snout-vent-length of 187 mm. The tail length is 194 mm, the hind food length is 39 mm and the ear length 27 mm. The general colour of the fur is light ashy grey, somewhat grizzly, and pencilled with black. The base of the hair is mouse colour. The tips are almost white. The tail is bare and scaly. The blackish whiskers are long. The ears are small, inside grey, on the outside covered with minute hairs.Conservation status
This species might be possibly extinct as it is only known by the holotype, an adult male, collected by Alexander Morton from the Australian MuseumAustralian Museum
The Australian Museum is the oldest museum in Australia, with an international reputation in the fields of natural history and anthropology. It features collections of vertebrate and invertebrate zoology, as well as mineralogy, palaeontology, and anthropology...
during the HMS Cormorant
HMS Cormorant (1877)
HMS Cormorant was an Osprey-class sloop launched at Chatham on 12 September 1877 and later the receiving ship at Gibraltar. She was renamed Rooke in 1946 and broken up in 1949.-Design:...
expedition to the Solomon Islands in 1881. Surveys in 1987 and in 1991 failed to find any specimens and the Nggela Islands are badly deforestated.