Abstract
AbstractMosaic-tailed rodents of the genusMelomysbelong to the Australasian old endemic murine radiation and exhibit a rat-like morphology with arboreal or scansorial specializations. Here we report a new population ofMelomys burtonifrom the island of Halmahera (in the North Moluccas, Indonesia). Our molecular phylogenetic results highlight close relationships and recent evolutionary divergences amongM. burtonifrom Halmahera and the Australo-Papuan taxaM. burtoniandM. lutillusand other Moluccan taxa, includingM. paveli. Multivariate as well as geometric morphometric analyses of cranial, and dental features support the recognition ofM. burtonifrom Halmahera as a slightly distinctive insular population, preventing us from elevating it as a new taxa. This population is recorded from lowland secondary forest and forest edge habitats in south-central Halmahera. As with other Moluccan endemic murines, colonization by an Australo-Papuan ancestor and subsequent isolation is the probable mode of diversification forM. burtoniin Halmahera. The discovery ofMelomysin Halmahera fills a previously puzzling gap in knowledge of the murine fauna of the Moluccas and the biogeography of the Wallacean region.
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