NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Nicobar Archipelago Rat
Rattus burrus (Miller, 1902)
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 nonsense rat, Nicobar Archipelago rat or Miller's Nicobar rat (Rattus burrus) is endemic to the Nicobar Islands in India. It lives on Great Nicobar, Little Nicobar, and Trinket islands. On Car Nicobar Island, Rattus palmarum and Rattus andamanensis live instead.
The species was first described in 1902 by Miller, who placed it in the genus Mus. Today it is classified in the genus Rattus. The origin of the name "nonsense rat" is uncertain, as Miller did not provide a common name in his original description. More recent sources, such as the IUCN, include it.
Wikipedia contributors, Nonsense rat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:11:32.388142+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Rattus burrus (Miller, 1902)
- Name authority
- (Miller, 1902)
- Common name
- Nicobar Archipelago Rat
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Muridae
- Genus
- Rattus
- 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
- genusRattus Fischer, 1803
- speciesRattus burrus (Miller, 1902)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Rattus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Burnished Enggano RatRattus adustus Sody, 1940 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Indochinese Forest RatRattus andamanensis (Blyth, 1860) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Annandale's Sundaic RatRattus annandalei (Bonhote, 1903) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ricefield RatRattus argentiventer (Robinson & Kloss, 1916) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kinabalu RatRattus baluensis (Thomas, 1894) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Southwestern Xanthurus RatRattus bontanus Thomas, 1921 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Australian Dusky RatRattus colletti (Thomas, 1904) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sula Archipelago RatRattus elaphinus Sody, 1941 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Enggano Island RatRattus enganus (Miller, 1906) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Philippine Forest RatRattus everetti (Günther, 1879) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hainald's Flores Island RatRattus hainaldi Kitchener, How & Maharadatunkamsi, 1991 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hoogerwerf's Sumatran RatRattus hoogerwerfi Chasen, 1939 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Mus burrescens Miller, 1902 Miller, 1902 | 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=585515 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:4RM4B. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.