Abstract
Rattus is the most studied genus all over the world but species of the genus are not thoroughly reported from Manipur. The present paper deals with the morphometric, cytotaxonomic and phylogenetic studies of Manipur, India. The different species of Rattus namely Rattus rattus, Rattus brunneusculus, Rattus tanezumi and Rattus nitidus were studied. Berylmys manipulus and Berylmys mackenziei were taken from the genus Berylmys. The studies of the species reveal that the polymorphic chromosomes in the genus Rattus were pair numbers that is, 1, 9, 10 and 13. The change of acrocentrics which are regarded as primitive/ancestral types of chromosomes into either subtelocentric or small metacentrics leads to speciation or simply new species particularly in Manipur. It is generally accepted cytologically that 2n=40 (Berylmys manipulus, B. mackenziei, R. kandianus etc) are derived from the 2n=42 through centric fusion/Robertsonian fusion, but the soft palate studies shows affinity of the species that is, B. manipulus and B. mackenziei from Manipur towards Niviventer. The present study is the first step towards the understanding of the relationship between these two genera-Rattus and Berylmys. Key words: Rattus, Berylmys, Manipur.
Highlights
(Ellerman and Morrison-Scott, 1951; Vinogradov and Argyropulo, 1941; Corbet, 1978; Harrison and Bates, 1991)
It is pertinent to study the different species of the genus Rattus and some species of the Berylmys
The present study is the first step towards understanding the chromosomal profiles of some species of the Rattus and to investigate some of the relationship with Berylmys in the context of Manipur
Summary
The genus Rattus has been defined as a widely distributed and taxonomically mixed group including many species and subspecies throughout the World (Ellerman and Morrison-Scott, 1951; Vinogradov and Argyropulo, 1941; Corbet, 1978; Harrison and Bates, 1991). 69 species are reported in Manipur (Mandal et al, 2005). Rattus rattus tistae Hinton, Rattut nitidus obsoletus Hinton, R. mackenziei (Thomas) and Rattus manipulus manipulus (Thomas). The latter two taxa were included in the genus Berylmys as Berylmys mackenziei (Thomas) and Berylmys manipulus. Manipur is one of the passage to the South East Asia from Indian continent or vice-versa. It is pertinent to study the different species of the genus Rattus and some species of the Berylmys.
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