Fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rat | |
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Fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rat, among other fauna of Australia | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Muridae |
Genus: | Melomys |
Species: | M. cervinipes |
Binomial name | |
Melomys cervinipes (Gould, 1852) |
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The fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rat, or fawn-footed melomys (Melomys cervinipes) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Australia.
This species has long been commonly known by the descriptive English common name fawn-footed melomys, but during the 1990s there was a push for such names to be replaced with indigenous Australian names. Accordingly, in 1995 the Australian Nature Conservation Agency published recommendations for the common names of rodents. They compiled two indigenous Australian names for this species: Corrill, recorded from Stradbroke Island; and Cunduoo, recorded from the vicinity of the Richmond River. They recommended the adoption of the former of these names, but with the orthography Korril. However this recommendation was not prescriptive, and it remains to be seen to what extent it will be adopted.