Order Rodentia - Family Muridae
Author
Wilson, Don E.
Author
Reeder, DeeAnn
text
2005
The Johns Hopkins University Press
Baltimore
Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2
1189
1531
book chapter
0-8018-8221-4
10.5281/zenodo.7316535
Maxomys
Sody 1936
Maxomys
Sody 1936
,
Natuurk. Tijdschr. Ned.-Ind., 96: 55
.
Type Species:
Mus bartelsii
Jentink 1910
Species and subspecies:
17 species:
Species
Maxomys alticola
(Thomas 1888)
Species
Maxomys baeodon
(
Thomas 1894
)
Species
Maxomys bartelsii
(Jentink 1910)
Species
Maxomys dollmani
Ellerman 1941
Species
Maxomys hellwaldii
(Jentink 1878)
Species
Maxomys hylomyoides
(
Robinson and Kloss 1916
)
Species
Maxomys inas
(Bonhote 1906)
Species
Maxomys inflatus
(
Robinson and Kloss 1916
)
Species
Maxomys moi
(
Robinson and Kloss 1922
)
Species
Maxomys musschenbroekii
(Jentink 1878)
Species
Maxomys ochraceiventer
(
Thomas 1894
)
Species
Maxomys pagensis
(Miller 1903)
Species
Maxomys panglima
(Robinson 1921)
Species
Maxomys rajah
(
Thomas 1894
)
Species
Maxomys surifer
(Miller 1900)
Species
Maxomys wattsi
Musser 1991
Species
Maxomys whiteheadi
(
Thomas 1894
)
Discussion:
Maxomys
Division. Definition and contents of
Maxomys
provided by Musser et al. (1979), who discussed historical allocations of species to groups of
Rattus
and summarized chromosomal information. The exclusion of
Maxomys
from
Rattus
also supported by allozymic data (
Chan et al., 1979
), albumin immunology (
Watts and Baverstock, 1994
b
), and DNA/DNA hybridization studies (
Ruedas and Kirsch, 1997
). Morphological analyses indicated that
Maxomys
shares all its dental derived molar traits with
Berylmys
,
Mus
, and
Niviventer
, and some of its external features with
Mus
(
Musser and Newcomb, 1983
)
. Estimate of relationships based on karyotypic data placed
Maxomys
close to
Niviventer
and
Lenothrix
and far from
Rattus
(
Gadi and Sharma, 1983
)
. Spermatozoal morphology of Malayan
Maxomys
and one Sulawesian species is similar to
Chiropodomys
and
Hapalomys
, a configuration also like that seen in
Mus
and
Apodemus
(
Breed and Musser, 1991
;
Breed and Yong, 1986
). Sperm conformation in the other species of Sulawesian
Maxomys
were unlike the Malayan species and resembled that of the Sulawesian endemic
Margaretamys
(
Breed and Musser, 1991
)
. In their study of DNA/DNA hybridization,
Ruedas and Kirsch (1997)
sampled five of the 19 species of
Maxomys
, all Sundaic (
M. ochraceiventer
,
M. whiteheadi
,
M. rajah
,
M. bartelsii
, and
M. surifer
); they formed a monophyletic clade relative to other Indomalayan genera sampled (
Rattus
,
Sundamys
,
Niviventer
, and
Leopoldamys
); whether all other species of
Maxomys
, especially those endemics on Sulawesi, are also members of this clade remains to be determined. Albumin immunology indicates
Maxomys
to be "a separate lineage within South-east Asian murines not particularly close to any other" (
Watts and Baverstock, 1994
b
), and analysis of DNA sequence of LINE-1 elements places
Maxomys
in a clade separate from that containing
Leopoldamys
and
Niviventer
(members of our
Dacnomys
Division), and another formed by
Rattus
,
Berlymys
,
Sundamys
, and
Bandicota
, genera in our
Rattus
Division (
Verneau et al., 1997
,
1998
). We isolate
Maxomys
in its own division, which highlights current estimates of its phylogenetic position within the evolutionary diversity of extant Indomalayan murines.
Closest relative of
Maxomys
may be the extinct
Ratchaburimys ruchae
, described from jaw fragments and isolated molars recovered from late Pliocene and early Pleistocene cave sediments in S
Thailand
north of the Isthmus of Kra (10E30' N) (
Chaimanee, 1998
). Aside from late Pliocene and Pleistocene examples of Thai
M. surifer
(see that account), the only other fossils determined as
Maxomys
come from early Pleistocene beds in E Java (
Van der Meulen and Musser, 1999
). There is an undescribed species of
Maxomys
from Mindoro Isl in the
Philippines
(see accounts of
Anonymomys mindorensis
and
Apomys gracilirostris
), one from C
Laos
(specimens examined by Musser), and two from C Sulawesi (Musser, ms)
.