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Black-footed Mesembriomys

Mesembriomys gouldii (Gray, 1843)

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 black-footed tree-rat (Mesembriomys gouldii), also known as Djintamoonga, is one of two endemic Australian rodent species in the genus Mesembriomys. Both the black-footed tree-rat and its congener, the golden-backed tree-rat (M. macrurus), are found in northern Australia. The species is one of the largest murids found in Australia.

Haematological and blood chemistry research has been performed on the black-footed tree-rat to aid in the captive and natural management of Australian native murids held in captivity for conservation purposes.

Wikipedia contributors, Black-footed tree-rat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:01:52.497439+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Mesembriomys gouldii (Gray, 1843)
Name authority
(Gray, 1843)
Common name
Black-footed Mesembriomys
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Rodentia
Family
Muridae
Genus
Mesembriomys
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.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
  9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
  10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
  11. orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
  12. suborderMyomorpha Brandt, 1855
  13. superfamilyMuroidea Illiger, 1811
  14. familyMuridae Illiger, 1811
  15. subfamilyMurinae Illiger, 1811
  16. genusMesembriomys Palmer, 1906
  17. speciesMesembriomys gouldii (Gray, 1843)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Mesembriomys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Golden-backed MesembriomysMesembriomys macrurus (Peters, 1876)MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant

Browse 672 records assigned to Muridae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Recorded nameSource status
Mesembriomys hirsutus melvillensis Hayman, 1936 Hayman, 1936synonym
Mesembriomys hirsutus rattoides Thomas, 1924 Thomas, 1924synonym
Mus hirsutus Gould, 1842 Gould, 1842ambiguous synonym

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Australia

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.

  1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=585365 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:3ZY6K. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.