Mammals of Korea: a review of their taxonomy, distribution and conservation status
Author
Jo, Yeong-Seok
Author
Baccus, John T.
Author
Koprowski, John L.
text
Zootaxa
2018
2018-11-19
4522
1
1
216
journal article
27944
10.11646/zootaxa.4522.1.1
58e0c7c5-75ec-4b1b-beb0-d01527f710f9
1175-5326
2610198
C24EFA8A-A5A0-4B06-A0A9-632F542B9529
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
).
FIGURE 124.
Range map of
Rattus norvegicus
in Korea.
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
.