Papagomys
| Papagomys Temporal range:
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| Stuffed specimen of Papagomys armandvillei
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Tribe: | Rattini |
| Genus: | Papagomys Sody, 1941 |
| Species | |
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Papagomys is a genus of very large rats in the tribe Rattini of the subfamily Murinae, with body masses of 600–2,500 grams (1.3–5.5 lb).[1] It contains two species, which are known only from the Indonesian island of Flores:[2]
- Flores giant rat Papagomys armandvillei
- Verhoeven's giant ratPapagomys theodorverhoeveni (possibly extinct, only known from subfossil remains)
A possible unnamed third species is also known from subfossil remains.[1]
Both species have records extending to the early Late Pleistocene.[3] The species are thought to be terrestrial, preferring closed habitats, with P. armandvillei known to engage in burrowing. They are thought to be omnivores, consuming leaves, fruit and invertebrates.[1]
References
- ^ hdl:2440/121139.
- ^ Musser and Carleton, 2005; Zijlstra et al., 2008; Aplin and Helgen, 2010
- hdl:10072/418777.
Literature cited
- Aplin, K.P. and Helgen, K.M. 2010. Quaternary murid rodents of Timor. Part I: New material of Coryphomys buehleri Schaub, 1937, and description of a second species of the genus. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 341:1–80.
- OCLC 62265494.
- Zijlstra, J.S., Hoek Ostende, L.W. van den and Due, R.A. 2008. Verhoeven's giant rat of Flores (Papagomys theodorverhoeveni, Muridae) extinct after all? Contributions to Zoology 77(1):25–31.