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Rattus (rat)

Mammalia - Rodentia - Muridae

Taxonomy
Rattus was named by Fischer (1803). It is extant. Its type is Mus decumanus.

It was assigned to Murinae by Ruedas and Kirsch (1997); and to Muridae by Worthy (1997), McKenna and Bell (1997) and Burney et al. (2008).

Synonyms
  • Epimys was named by Trouessart (1881). It is extant.

    It was synonymized subjectively with Rattus by Hollister (1916).
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1803Rattus Fischer p. 128
1881Epimys Trouessart
1997Rattus McKenna and Bell
1997Rattus Ruedas and Kirsch
1997Rattus Worthy p. 112
2008Rattus Burney et al. p. 19

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
subclassSynapsida
—Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
—Mammaliamorpha
—Mammaliaformes
RankNameAuthor
classMammalia
—Theriamorpha(Rowe 1993)
—Theriiformes()
—Trechnotheria
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
—Eutheria()
—Placentalia
—Boreoeutheria
—EuarchontogliresMurphy et al. 2001
—GliriformesWyss and Meng 1996
—Glires()
—Simplicidentata()
orderRodentiaBowdich 1821
infraorderMyodontaSchaub 1958
superfamilyMuroideaIlliger 1811
—Eumuroida
familyMuridaeIlliger 1811
subfamilyMurinae
genusRattusFischer 1803

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

G. Rattus Fischer 1803 [rat]
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Rattus exulans Peale 1848
Rattus flavipectus Milne-Edwards 1871
Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout 1769 [brown rat]
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Invalid names: Rattus decumanus Pallas 1778 [synonym]
Rattus rattus Linnaeus 1758 [black rat]
Rattus rattus sladeni Anderson 1879
Rattus sabanus Thomas 1887
Invalid names: Epimys Trouessart 1881 [synonym]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
partNmean

Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: terrestrialsubc
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: ground dwellingg
Diet: herbivoref
Diet 2: insectivoref
Reproduction: viviparoussubc
Comments: "terrestrial" (possibly meaning scansorial)g
Created: 2012-05-15 12:53:50
Modified: 2012-05-14 21:53:50
Source: g = genus, f = family, subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Nowak 1991, Samuels and Van Valkenburgh 2008, Hendy et al. 2009, Lillegraven 1979, Ji et al. 2002, Carroll 1988

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Zanclean to the top of the Holocene or 5.33300 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 3.6 Ma

Collections (145 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Zanclean5.333 - 3.6Japan Rattus legata (55664)
Late/Upper Pliocene3.6 - 2.588China (Hebei) Rattus sp. (13486)
Piacenzian3.6 - 2.588China (Shensi) Epimys sp. (34506)
Villanyian3.2 - 2.588China (Hebei) Rattus sp. (43208)
Villanyian3.2 - 2.588Hungary (Fejer) Rattus sp. (35374)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.588 - 0.781China (Anhui) Rattus bowersi, Rattus sp. (68380)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.588 - 0.781Australia (Western Australia) Rattus fuscipes, Rattus tunneyi (181322)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.588 - 0.781China ( Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region) Rattus sp., Rattus norvegicus (214689)
Early/Lower Pleistocene - Middle Pleistocene2.588 - 0.129France (Alpes Maritimes) Epimys sp. (50682)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117Australia (South Australia) Rattus fuscipes, Rattus lutreolus, Rattus tunneyi, Rattus sp. (136430) Rattus lutreolus (136159) Rattus sp. (28298)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117Australia (Victoria) Rattus sp. (136221)
Pleistocene - Holocene2.588 - 0.0China (Jiangsu) Rattus rattus (37064)
Quaternary2.58 - 0.0Australia (New South Wales) Rattus lutreolus (181307)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Greece (Chios) Rattus sp., Rattus rattus (204077)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Israel Rattus haasi (192425)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Vietnam (Lang Son) Rattus sp. (92781)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129China (Guangdong) Rattus rattus (120834) Rattus sp. (40341)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129China (Guangxi) Rattus edwardsi (38649)
Middle Pleistocene - Late/Upper Pleistocene0.774 - 0.0117China (Guangdong) Rattus rattus (13293)
Middle Pleistocene - Late/Upper Pleistocene0.774 - 0.0117Australia (South Australia) Rattus fuscipes, Rattus lutreolus, Rattus tunneyi (182920 183263) Rattus fuscipes, Rattus tunneyi (136075) Rattus lutreolus, Rattus tunneyi (183262)
Middle Pleistocene - Late/Upper Pleistocene0.774 - 0.0117Kenya Rattus rattus (22276)
Middle Pleistocene - Late/Upper Pleistocene0.774 - 0.0117Australia (Queensland) Rattus sp. (183080)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Thailand Rattus remotus (176213)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Philippines Rattus sp. (194836) Rattus sp., Rattus norvegicus (194835)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Australia (South Australia) Rattus fuscipes, Rattus lutreolus (136072 181314) Rattus fuscipes, Rattus lutreolus, Rattus tunneyi (182957)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Israel Rattus rattus (225667)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Australia (Queensland) Rattus sp. (194846)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Japan (Aomori) Rattus norvegicus (101898)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Australia (New South Wales) Rattus fuscipes, Rattus rattus (181897)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene0.129 - 0.0Indonesia Rattus hainaldi (214635)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene0.129 - 0.0Bahamas (San Salvador) Rattus sp. (190743)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene0.129 - 0.0Australia (South Australia) Rattus fuscipes, Rattus lutreolus, Rattus tunneyi, Rattus sp. (136172) Rattus indet. (183085)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene0.129 - 0.0Philippines Rattus mindorensis (214606)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene0.129 - 0.0New Zealand Rattus exulans (182103 182104)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Yemen Rattus norvegicus (169046 234349)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0South Africa (N. Transraal) Rattus rattus (21693)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Australia (Queensland) Rattus fuscipes, Rattus leucopus, Rattus lutreolus, Rattus sordidus, Rattus tunneyi (21688)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0New Caledonia Rattus exulans (193989)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Australia (Western Australia) Rattus tunneyi (191983)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Madagascar (Toliara) Rattus sp. (92732 92733)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Reunion Rattus sp. (193997)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Italy (Vicenza) Mus decumanus (43667)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0New Zealand (South Island) Rattus exulans (215380 215387 215388 215389 215391 215395 215403 215415 215416 215417 215419 215420 215421 215422 215578 215579 215583 215613 215616 215617) Rattus norvegicus (215418) Rattus rattus (215392)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Netherlands Antilles (Bonaire) Rattus rattus (176042)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Marshall Islands Rattus exulans (194995 194997 194998 194999)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Indonesia (Java) Rattus tiomanicus (13738)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Northern Mariana Islands Rattus exulans (194631 194632 194633 194634 194635 194637 194640 194641 194642 194646 194647 194649) Rattus rattus (194648) Rattus rattus, Rattus exulans (194625 194630) Rattus sp. (194622 194623)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Niue Rattus exulans (193848 193851 193853 193854 193856 193866 193867)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Palau Rattus sp. (209729 209730 209732 209733 209734 209735 209737 209738 209739 209740 209742 209743 209744 209745)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Guam Rattus sp. (208640 208643)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Madagascar (Beanka) Rattus rattus (205190 205193)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Kenya Rattus rattus (21933) Rattus sp. (21938)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Cook Islands Rattus exulans (193448)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Cayman Islands (Grand Cayman) Rattus rattus (144134)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Cote D'Ivoire Rattus rattus (21692)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Australia (Victoria) Rattus lutreolus (182902)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0China (Guangdong) Rattus rattus (40229)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0France (Corse) Rattus rattus (215378)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Panama Rattus rattus (21691)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Ecuador (Galapagos) Rattus rattus (190844 190845 190846 190847)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0New Zealand Rattus exulans (181846 181847 181848 181849) Rattus rattus, Rattus exulans (195150)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Saint Helena Rattus sp. (194220 194221)