Uromys (Uromys) neobritannicus Tate and Archbold 1935

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Muridae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 1189-1531 : 1515

Uromys (Uromys) neobritannicus Tate and Archbold 1935

Uromys (Uromys) neobritannicus Tate and Archbold 1935 , Am. Mus . Novit., 803: 4.

Type Locality: Papua New Guinea, Bismarck Arch., New Britain Isl.

Vernacular Names: New Britain Island Uromys.

Distribution: Endemic to New Britain Isl.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Subgenus Uromys . Included in U. anak by Ziegler (1982 b:882) without explanation, but neobritannicus is diagnosed by distinctive external and cranial traits that are outside the range of morphological variation characteristic of U. anak ( Groves and Flannery, 1994) . Chromosomal data reported by Donnellan (1987). Still known only by a few specimens. Extensive survey of living and fossil mammals on nearby New Ireland did not yield the species, and Groves and Flannery (1994) think it unlikely that U. neobritannicus inhabits any of the smaller islands adjacent to New Britain.