Kingdom Animalia Order Rodentia Subfamily Murinae Scientific name Saxatilomys Rank Genus | Phylum Chordata Family Muridae Species S. paulinae Higher classification Murinae | |
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Similar Ohiya rat, Sommer's Sulawesi rat, Rodent, Mammal, Limestone rat | ||
Saxatilomys is a genus of murid rodent native to central Laos and Vietnam, containing the sole species Saxatilomys paulinae (commonly known as Pauline's limestone rat). It was first discovered in the Khammouan Limestone National Biodiversity Conservation Area in Khammouan Province, Laos, and also been found in the Vietnamese province of Quang Bình. The genus name is derived from the Latin saxatilis, meaning "among the rocks" and the Greek mys meaning mouse or rat.
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Description
Saxatilomys paulinae resembles, and is likely closely related to, species in the genera Niviventer and Chiromyscus . Saxatilomys is distinguished from these and other Indomalayan genera by "semispinous dark gray upperparts, dark frosted gray underparts, large, extremely bulbous footpads, and a combination of derived and primitive cranial and dental traits".
Habitat
S. paulinae is thought to be petricolous and has only been observed in forested, rocky limestone habitats.