Uromys porculus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	RODENTIA	MURIDAE

Scientific Name:

Uromys porculus

Species Authority

Infra-specific Authority:

Thomas, 1904

Common Name/s:

English

–

Guadalcanal Rat

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Critically Endangered D ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2008

Assessor/s

Leary, T., Wright, D., Hamilton, S., Singadan, R., Menzies, J., Bonaccorso, F., Helgen, K. & Seri, L.

Evaluator/s:

Lamoreux, J. (Global Mammal Assessment Team) & Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority)

Justification:
Listed as Critically Endangered because it has not been recorded with certainty since three specimens were collected presumably between 1886 and 1888. There is apparently no local knowledge of the species. It is quite possibly extinct (Possibly Extinct candidate), however, Guadalcanal has not been adequately surveyed. Should this species still exist, it is almost certain to be very few in number.

History:

2002	–	Extinct (IUCN 2002)
1996	–	Lower Risk/least concern (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known only from the holotype collected by C.M. Woodford presumably between 1886-1888 at Aola, Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands (Flannery 1995). There is apparently no local knowledge of the species. Tim Flannery reports seeing something which could be this species in 1989, but this sighting is unconfirmed (Flannery 1995).
Countries:	Presence uncertain: Solomon Islands

Population [top]

Population:	It is known only from the holotype. Guadalcanal has not been adequately surveyed for this species (K. Helgen pers. comm.).
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It appears to have been a terrestrial species that may have inhabited caves (Flannery 1995). It probably lived in lowland tropical forests.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The reasons for the decline and possible extinction of this species are not known. It may have been subject to overhunting and loss of suitable habitat; or competition, predation, and/or disease transmission from introduced species. Feral cats have been recorded from the area, and these could certainly have lead to the demise of this species.

Major Threat(s):

The reasons for the decline and possible extinction of this species are not known. It may have been subject to overhunting and loss of suitable habitat; or competition, predation, and/or disease transmission from introduced species. Feral cats have been recorded from the area, and these could certainly have lead to the demise of this species.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Future surveys of Guadalcanal should be familiar with this species so that any remnant populations can be identified.

Conservation Actions:

Future surveys of Guadalcanal should be familiar with this species so that any remnant populations can be identified.

Citation:	IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 12 October 2008.
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