Oryzomys antillarum

Oryzomys antillarum
See caption.
Holotype skull, seen from above, below, and the left[1]

Extinct (1870s)  (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Sigmodontinae
Genus: Oryzomys
Species:
†O. antillarum
Binomial name
†Oryzomys antillarum
Thomas, 1898
See image description.
Distribution of Oryzomys antillarum (green) and other species of Oryzomys, including O. couesi (red) and the marsh rice rat (O. palustris; blue)
Synonyms[fn 1][6]
  • Oryzomys antillarum Thomas, 1898[3]
  • Oryzomys palustris antillarum: Hershkovitz, 1966[4]
  • [Oryzomys couesi] antillarum: Honacki et al., 1982[5]

Oryzomys antillarum, also known as the Jamaican rice rat,[7] is an extinct rodent of Jamaica. A member of the genus Oryzomys within the family Cricetidae, it is similar to O. couesi of mainland Central America, from where it may have dispersed to its island during the last glacial period. O. antillarum is common in subfossil cave faunas and is also known from three specimens collected live in the 19th century. Some historical records of Jamaican rats may pertain to it. The species probably became extinct late in the 19th century, perhaps due to the introduction of the small Indian mongoose, competition with introduced rodents such as the brown rat, and habitat destruction.

Oryzomys antillarum was a medium-sized rat, similar in most respects to Oryzomys couesi. The head and body length was 120 to 132 mm (4.7 to 5.2 in) and the skull was about 30 mm (1.2 in) long. The upperparts were reddish and graded into the yellowish underparts. The tail was about as long as the head and body, sparsely haired, and darker above than below. The species differed from O. couesi in having longer nasal bones, shorter incisive foramina (perforations of the front part of the palate), and more robust zygomatic arches (cheekbones).

  1. ^ Ray, 1962, plate V
  2. ^ Turvey, S. T.; Helgen, K. (2017). "Oryzomys antillarum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T136540A22388029. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T136540A22388029.en.
  3. ^ Thomas, 1898, p. 177
  4. ^ Hershkovitz, 1966, p. 736
  5. ^ Honacki et al., 1982, p. 439
  6. ^ Morgan, 1993, p. 439
  7. ^ Goldman, 1918, p. 44; Turvey and Helgen, 2017


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