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Oriental House Rat

Rattus tanezumi (Temminck, 1845)

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 tanezumi rat (Rattus tanezumi), also known as the Asian rat or Asian house rat, yellow-breasted or buff-breasted rat (Rattus flavipectus), is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is closely related to the black rat (Rattus rattus). It is widespread in eastern, southern and south-eastern Asia, being found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Wikipedia contributors, Tanezumi rat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:12:22.742295+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Rattus tanezumi (Temminck, 1845)
Name authority
(Temminck, 1845)
Common name
Oriental House 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.

  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. genusRattus Fischer, 1803
  17. speciesRattus tanezumi (Temminck, 1845)

Close classified relatives

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

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Burnished Enggano RatRattus adustus Sody, 1940MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Indochinese Forest RatRattus andamanensis (Blyth, 1860)MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Annandale's Sundaic RatRattus annandalei (Bonhote, 1903)MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Ricefield RatRattus argentiventer (Robinson & Kloss, 1916)MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Kinabalu RatRattus baluensis (Thomas, 1894)MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Southwestern Xanthurus RatRattus bontanus Thomas, 1921MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Nicobar Archipelago RatRattus burrus (Miller, 1902)MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Australian Dusky RatRattus colletti (Thomas, 1904)MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Sula Archipelago RatRattus elaphinus Sody, 1941MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Enggano Island RatRattus enganus (Miller, 1906)MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Philippine Forest RatRattus everetti (Günther, 1879)MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Hainald's Flores Island RatRattus hainaldi Kitchener, How & Maharadatunkamsi, 1991MuridaeChordataAccepted 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
Mus brunneus Hodgson, 1845 Hodgson, 1845synonym
Mus brunneusculus Hodgson, 1845 Hodgson, 1845synonym
Mus kelleri Mearns, 1905 Mearns, 1905synonym
Mus neglectus Jentink, 1880 Jentink, 1880synonym
Mus pannosus Miller, 1900 Miller, 1900synonym
Mus yunnanensis Anderson, 1879 Anderson, 1879synonym
Mus zamboangae Mearns, 1905 Mearns, 1905synonym
Rattus dammermani Thomas, 1921 Thomas, 1921synonym
Rattus germaini Milne-Edwards, 1872 Milne-Edwards, 1872synonym
Rattus macmillani Hinton, 1919 Hinton, 1919synonym
Rattus masaretes Sody, 1937 Sody, 1937synonym
Rattus molliculus Robinson & Kloss, 1922 Robinson & Kloss, 1922synonym
Rattus palelae Miller & Hollister, 1921 Miller & Hollister, 1921synonym
Rattus sapoensis Sody, 1941 Sody, 1941synonym
Rattus toxi Sody, 1941 Sody, 1941synonym
Epimys rattus makensis Kloss, 1916 Kloss, 1916synonym
Epimys rattus portus Kloss, 1915 Kloss, 1915synonym
Epimys rattus rangensis Kloss, 1916 Kloss, 1916synonym
Epimys rattus turbidus Miller, 1913 Miller, 1913synonym
Rattus mindanensis tablasi Taylor, 1934 Taylor, 1934synonym
Rattus rattus alangensis Chasen, 1937 Chasen, 1937synonym
Rattus rattus amboinensis Laurie & Hill, 1954 Laurie & Hill, 1954synonym
Rattus rattus bhotia Hinton, 1918 Hinton, 1918synonym
Rattus rattus kadanus Chasen, 1937 Chasen, 1937synonym
Rattus rattus kramensis Kloss, 1919 Kloss, 1919synonym
Rattus rattus lanensis Kloss, 1919 Kloss, 1919synonym
Rattus rattus lontaris Chasen, 1937 Chasen, 1937synonym
Rattus rattus makassarius Sody, 1941 Sody, 1941synonym
Rattus rattus mesanis Kloss, 1919 Kloss, 1919synonym
Rattus rattus moheius Chasen, 1937 Chasen, 1937synonym
Rattus rattus moluccarius Sody, 1933 Sody, 1933synonym
Rattus rattus palembang Tate & Archbold, 1935 Tate & Archbold, 1935synonym
Rattus rattus samati Sody, 1932 Sody, 1932synonym
Rattus rattus santalum Sody, 1932 Sody, 1932synonym
Rattus rattus sumbae Sody, 1930 Sody, 1930synonym
Mus flavipectus Milne-Edwards, 1872 Milne-Edwards, 1872synonym
Epimys rattus exsul Miller, 1913 Miller, 1913synonym
Rattus rattus bullocki Roonwal, 1948 Roonwal, 1948synonym
Rattus rattus tikos Hinton, 1919 Hinton, 1919synonym
Rattus rattus obiensis Sody, 1941 Sody, 1941synonym
Rattus rattus pelengensis Sody, 1941 Sody, 1941synonym
Mus canna Swinhoe, 1871 Swinhoe, 1871synonym
Mus diardii Jentink, 1880 Jentink, 1880synonym
Mus mindanensis Mearns, 1905 Mearns, 1905synonym
Mus nemoralis Blyth, 1851 Blyth, 1851ambiguous synonym
Mus robustulus Blyth, 1859 Blyth, 1859synonym
Mus sladeni Anderson, 1879 Anderson, 1879synonym
Mus tanezumi Temminck, 1845 Temminck, 1845synonym
Rattus lalolis Tate & Archbold, 1935 Tate & Archbold, 1935synonym
Epimys rattus dentatus Miller, 1913 Miller, 1913synonym
Epimys rattus fortunatus Miller, 1913 Miller, 1913synonym
Epimys rattus insulanus Miller, 1913 Miller, 1913synonym
Epimys rattus poenitentiarii Kloss, 1915 Kloss, 1915synonym
Rattus rattus argyraceus Sody, 1941 Sody, 1941synonym
Rattus rattus auroreus Sody, 1941 Sody, 1941synonym
Rattus rattus gangutrianus Hinton, 1919 Hinton, 1919synonym
Rattus rattus panjius Chasen, 1937 Chasen, 1937synonym
Rattus rattus pipidonis Chasen, 1937 Chasen, 1937synonym
Rattus rattus robinsoni Chasen, 1940 Chasen, 1940synonym
Rattus rattus septicus Sody, 1933 Sody, 1933synonym
Rattus rattus talaudensis Sody, 1941 Sody, 1941synonym
Rattus rattus tatkonensis Hinton, 1919 Hinton, 1919synonym
Epimys robiginosus Hollister, 1913 Hollister, 1913synonym
Epimys coloratus Hollister, 1913 Hollister, 1913synonym
Epimys benguetensis Hollister, 1913 Hollister, 1913synonym
Mus ouangthomae Milne-Edwards, 1872 Milne-Edwards, 1872ambiguous synonym
Mus pulliventer Miller, 1902 Miller, 1902synonym
Rattus rattus yeni Dao, 1960 Dao, 1960synonym
Rattus rattus thai Kloss, 1917 Kloss, 1917synonym
Rattus rattus khyensis Hinton, 1919 Hinton, 1919synonym
Rattus rattus barussanoides Sody, 1941 Sody, 1941synonym
Rattus rattus tistae Hinton, 1918 Hinton, 1918synonym

Documented distribution

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

Southern Asia

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=585554 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:4RM7G. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.