Rattus mordax subsp. hageni Troughton 1937

Rattus mordax hageni Troughton, 1937a

Rec. Aust. Mus. 20(2): 120. (27 August 1937).

Common name. Stein’s New Guinea Rat.

Current name. Rattus steini hageni Troughton 1937a; following Taylor et al. (1982) and Musser & Carleton (2005) but within Papua New Guinea R. steini Rümmler, 1935 includes multiple species requiring resolution, see Robins et al. (2014: 14). Helgen (2007) regarded eastern populations of R. steini to be a distinct species referable to R. foersteri (Rümmler, 1935), and placed hageni as a synonym of the latter.

Holotype. M.6102 by original designation. Male adult, skull (Fig. 45), study skin, collected by Dr G. A. M. Heydon, collection date not given, registered 22 May 1936.

Condition. Cranium complete; right dentary missing angular process; left dentary complete. Study skin: only c. 6 cm of proximal end of tail present (probably condition when captured), skin otherwise complete and in good condition.

Type locality. Upper Wahgi River valley, from alt. of 5–6,000 ft., on the southern slopes of Mt Hagen, Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea.

Paratypes. (7, 6 by subsequent determination). Details as per holotype, collection dates not given: M.6103 by original designation, female (allotype), skull, study skin; M.6104, female, skull, study skin; M.6105–07, all females, bodies in alc.; M.6108–09, both young males, bodies in alc.

Comments. Troughton gives registration numbers of the holotype and allotype under his heading “Type specimens” but does not mention any additional material of this taxon, types or otherwise.A further six specimens, all from the type locality and registered at the same time as the holotype, are marked as paratypes in the register in Troughton’s hand and we accept these as part of the type series.