Petter's tufted-tailed rat
| Petter's tufted-tailed rat | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Nesomyidae |
| Genus: | Eliurus |
| Species: | E. petteri |
| Binomial name | |
|
Eliurus petteri Carleton, 1994 |
|
Petter's tufted-tailed rat (Eliurus petteri) is a rodent in the genus Eliurus found in lowland eastern Madagascar. First described in 1994, it is most closely related to the smaller Eliurus grandidieri. Virtually nothing is known of its natural history, except that it occurs in rainforest and is nocturnal and solitary. It is threatened by destruction and fragmentation of its habitat and is listed as "Vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List.
With a head and body length of 130 to 136 mm (5.1 to 5.4 in), Eliurus petteri is a moderately large species of Eliurus. Its upperparts are gray-brown to gray and contrast sharply with the white underparts. The tail tuft, a characteristic feature of Eliurus, is weakly developed. The skull is delicate and the incisive foramina (openings in the front part of the palate) are short and narrow. The incisors are weak.
Eliurus petteri was first described in 1994 by American zoologist Michael Carleton as part of a revision of the genus Eliurus. Carleton had only three specimens of the new species, which had been collected in 1929, 1956, and 1963 in close proximity in an area of eastern Madagascar. The specific name honors French biologist François Petter, who has contributed to the scientific study of the nesomyines. In 1998, Carleton and Steven Goodman described a related species, Eliurus grandidieri, from the Northern Highlands of Madagascar. Surprisingly, DNA sequence data suggest that this species is more closely related to Voalavo gymnocaudus than to other species of Eliurus; however, E. petteri has not been studied genetically. Carleton and Goodman reported additional occurrences of E. petteri (though within the same general area) in 2007, and formally recognized the "Eliurus petteri group" (including E. grandidieri and E. petteri) as one of five species groups within the genus.
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