Species Pseudomys shortridgei (Thomas, 1907)
Heath Rat
- Mus shortridgei Thomas, O. 1907. List of further collections of mammals from Western Australia, including a series from Bernier Island, obtained for Mr. W.E. Balston; with field-notes by the collector, Mr. G.C. Shortridge. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1906: 763-777 [Apr. 1907; publication date established from Duncan, F.M. 1937. On the dates of publication of the Society's 'Proceedings', 1859–1926. With an appendix containing the dates of publication of 'Proceedings', 1830–1858, compiled by the late F.H. Waterhouse, and of the 'Transactions', 1853–1869, by the late Henry Peavot, originally published in P.Z.S. 1893, 1913. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 107: 71–84 [76]] [765].
Type data:
Holotype BMNH 6.8.1.73 ♂ skin & skull, neighbourhood of Woyerling Reserve, WA 973 ft (altitude from skin label), as Woyaline, E of Pinjelly, 970 feet, near water.
Distribution
IBRA
SA, Vic, WA: Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Esperance Plains (ESP), Eyre Yorke Block (EYB), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Jarrah Forest (JF), Kanmantoo (KAN), Mallee (MAL), Naracoorte Coastal Plain (NCP), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Victorian Midlands (VM), Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP), Warren (WAR)
Ecological Descriptors
Folivore, frugivore, fungivore, granivore, open heath, terrestrial.
General References
Baverstock, P.R., Watts, C.H.S. & Hogarth, J.T. 1977. Chromosome evolution in Australian rodents I. The Pseudomyinae, the Hydromyinae and the Uromys/Melomys Group. Chromosoma (Berlin) 61: 95-125
Baverstock, P.R., Watts, C.H.S., Adams, M. & Cole, S.R. 1981. Genetical relationships among Australian rodents (Muridae). Australian Journal of Zoology 29: 289-303
Baynes, A., Chapman, A. & Lynam, A.J. 1987. The rediscovery, after 56 years, of the Heath Rat Pseudomys shortridgei (Thomas, 1907) in Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 13: 319-322
Breed, W.G. 1980. Further observations on spermatozoal morphology and male reproductive tract anatomy of Pseudomys and Notomys species (Mammalia: Rodentia). Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 104: 51-55
Breed, W.G. 1997. Interspecific variation of testis size and epididymal sperm numbers in Australasian rodents with special reference to the genus Notomys. Australian Journal of Zoology 45: 651-669
Calver, M.C., King, D.R., Gardner, J.L. & Martin, G.R. 1991. Total food consumption of some native Australian small mammals in the laboratory. Australian Mammalogy 14: 139-141
Chapman, A. & Newbey, K.R. 1995. A vertebrate fauna survey and some notes on the vegetation of the Ravensthorpe Range, Western Australia. CALMScience 1: 465-508
Claridge, A.W. & May, T.W. 1994. Mycophagy among Australian mammals. Australian Journal of Ecology 19: 251-275
Cockburn, A. 1978. The distribution of Pseudomys shortridgei (Muridae: Rodentia) and its relevance to that of other heathland Pseudomys. Australian Wildlife Research 5: 213-219
Cockburn, A. 1995. Heath Rat Pseudomys shortridgei. pp. 617-618 in Strahan, R. (ed.). The Mammals of Australia: The National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife. Sydney : Reed New Holland 756 pp.
Cockburn, A., Braithwaite, R.W. & Lee, A.K. 1981. The response of the heath rat, Pseudomys shortridgei, to pyric succession: a temporally dynamic life-history strategy. Journal of Animal Ecology 50: 649-666
Cooper, N.K. 1994. Identification of Pseudomys albocinereus, P. occidentalis, P. shortridgei, Rattus rattus and R. fuscipes using footpad patterns. Western Australian Naturalist 19: 279-283
Cooper, N.K., Bertozzi, T., Baynes, A. & Teale, R.J. 2003. The relationship between eastern and western population of the heath rat, Pseudomys shortridgei (Rodentia: Muridae). Records of the Western Australian Museum 21: 367-370
Lee, A.K. 1995. The Action Plan for Australian Rodents. Canberra : Australian Nature Conservation Agency 62 pp.
Morrissey, B.L. & Breed, W.G. 1982. Variation in external morphology of the glans penis of Australian native rodents. Australian Journal of Zoology 30: 495-502
Quinlan, K., Moro, D. & Lund, M. 2004. Improving trapping success for rare species by targeting habitat types using remotely sensed data: a case study of the heath mouse (Pseudomys shortridgei) in Western Australia. Wildlife Research 31: 219-227
Watts, C.H.S. & Aslin, H.J. 1981. The Rodents of Australia. Sydney : Angus & Robertson xii 321 pp. 16 pls
Whisson, L.A. 1995. A record of the heath rat, Pseudomys shortridgei and other fauna from Dragon Rocks Nature Reserve. Western Australian Naturalist 20: 49
Woods, R. & Kennedy, G. 1997. Circadian activity rhythms of captive heath rats (Pseudomys shortridgei). Wildlife Research 24: 459-468
Common Name References
ABRS 2001. Census of Australian Vertebrates. Australian Biological Resources Study (Heath Rat)