NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Seram Long-tailed Melomys
Melomys fulgens (Thomas, 1920)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Seram long-tailed mosaic-tailed rat (Melomys fulgens), also known as the Seram long-tailed melomys, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found only on the south coast of the island of Seram in Indonesia. At one time it was thought to be a subspecies of the white-bellied mosaic-tailed rat (Melomys leucogaster) but was subsequently raised to full species level. It differs from that species in having a much longer, scale-free tail with a calloused tip which is likely to be prehensile and used while climbing trees.
Wikipedia contributors, Seram long-tailed mosaic-tailed rat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:07:48.148278+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Melomys fulgens (Thomas, 1920)
- Name authority
- (Thomas, 1920)
- Common name
- Seram Long-tailed Melomys
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Muridae
- Genus
- Melomys
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderMyomorpha Brandt, 1855
- superfamilyMuroidea Illiger, 1811
- familyMuridae Illiger, 1811
- subfamilyMurinae Illiger, 1811
- genusMelomys Thomas, 1922
- speciesMelomys fulgens (Thomas, 1920)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Melomys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland MelomysMelomys burtoni (Ramsay, 1887) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cape York MelomysMelomys capensis Tate, 1951 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Short-tailed Talaud MelomysMelomys caurinus (Thomas, 1921) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dollman's MelomysMelomys dollmani Rümmler, 1935 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Snow Mountains Grassland MelomysMelomys frigicola Tate, 1951 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Riama Island MelomysMelomys howi Kitchener, in Kitchener & Suyanto, 1996 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-bellied MelomysMelomys leucogaster (Jentink, 1908) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Obi Island MelomysMelomys obiensis (Thomas, 1911) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pavel's Seram MelomysMelomys paveli Helgen, 2003 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-tailed MelomysMelomys rufescens (Alston, 1877) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Buka Island MelomysMelomys spechti Flannery & Wickler, 1990 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Papua Grassland MelomysMelomys lutillus (Thomas, 1913) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Uromys fulgens Thomas, 1920 Thomas, 1920 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=970847 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3ZMWZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.