Rattus norvegicus

Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769) —Brown Rat, common rat, Norway rat

Mus norvegicus Berkenhout, 1769 p.5; Type locality- United Kingdom.

M. caraco Pallas, 1778 p.91; Type locality- China and far eastern Siberia.

Epimys norvegicus caraco: Sowerby, 1923 p.154.

Rattus norvegicus caraco: Vinogradov & Obolensky, 1927 p.237; Won, 1958 p.449; Jones & Johnson, 1965 p.389; Won, 1967 p.248.

R. norvegicus: Kishida & Mori, 1931 p.378; Won, 1958 p.448; Won, 1967 p.239; Won, 1968 p.172; Yoon, 1992 p.85; Han, 1994 p.47; Won & Smith, 1999 p.27; Han, 2004c p.118.

R. norvegicus norvegicus: Kuroda, 1938 p.69; Won, 1968 p.173.

Range: The brown rat is commensal everywhere people live on the Korean Peninsula and associated islands (Fig. 124).

Remarks: Corbet (1978) noted that the common rat, Rattus norvegicus, had an extensive distribution in the world and recognized two subspecies (R. norvegicus norvegicus in the western Palearctic and R. norvegicus caraco in eastern Asia). Won (1967) reported two subspecies of R. norvegicus in Korea (R. n. norvegicus in most of the peninsula and R. n. caraco in the extreme northern part). Nevertheless, Jones and Johnson (1965) suggested that only one subspecies; R. n. caraco, inhabited the entire peninsula. Kral (1971) reported that the two subspecies of common rats (R. n. norvegicus; R. n. caraco) in Russia had identical karyotypes (seven metacentric, nine telocentric, four subtelocentric autosome pairs); the same karyotype was reported by Kang and Kim (1963) for R. n. norvegicus in Korea. On the basis of C-banding patterns and morphometric variation, Koh (1992) suggested that a single subspecies inhabited Korea, namely R. n. caraco. The subspecies on Ulleung Island was classified as R. n. longicaudus by Mori (1937) but was erroneously identified as a subspecies of R. norvegicus (Jones & Johnson 1965). The subspecies on Ulleung Island is Rattus rattus tanezumi.