Monday 30 July 2012

New mammal species discovered in Indonesia

Researchers from "La Sapienza", the University of Rome, have discovered a new mammal species in montane tropical rainforest of Indonesia

July 2012. A new mammal species has been discovered in the Mekkonga mountains in the southeast of Sulawesi (Indonesia). The new species is an arboreal rodent belonging to the genus Margaretamys, and has been named Margaretamys Christinae. 

The new species was captured at 1537 m in tropical montane rainforest. The genus Margaretamys (Muridae) now contains 4 species, all endemic of Sulawesi and all adapted to arboreal life. The species are of conservation concern since two of them are listed as "Endangered" and "Vulnerable" in the IUCN red list.
Endangered
From the zoogeographic point of view this find confirms the adaptive radiation of rodents in the mountains of Sulawesi; the new species has been proposed as "Endangered" for the IUCN red list.

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