Rattus rennelli Troughton 1945

Rattus rennelli Troughton, 1945

Rec. Aust. Mus. 21(6): 375. (25 June 1945).

Common name. Pacific Rat.

Current name. Rattus exulans browni (Alston, 1877), following Taylor et al. (1982) and Musser & Carleton (2005).

Holotype. M.4213 by original designation. Male, [skull, study skin], presented by Mr G. A. V. Stanley, collection date not given, registered on 8 November 1927. Stanley collected on Rennell Is. in 1927 (see Troughton, 1929a: 193).

Condition. Cranium complete; right dentary missing angular process; left dentary complete. Study skin: bald patch on left rear flank, otherwise complete and in good condition.

Type locality. Rennell Island, Rennell and Bellona Province, Solomon Islands.

Paratypes. (3, by subsequent determination). Details and registration date as per holotype: M.4214, female, (allotype), skull, study skin; M.4215, juv. sex indeterminate, body in alc.; M.4216, juv. sex indeterminate, body in alc.

Comments. Troughton gave the registration number for the male holotype, and referred to the allotype female though without providing a registration number. He did not indicate whether there are other paratypes. In addition to the holotype, the register has three specimens identified as rennelli in Troughton’s handwriting, only one of which is marked as a type (M.4214 as allotype). The two remaining specimens M.4215–16 are marked “ Paratypes 2 juv spmns” in Troughton’s hand on a type specimen index card.There are no other Rattus registered from Rennell Island in the AM database.