NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Australian Pale Field Rat
Rattus tunneyi (Thomas, 1904)
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 pale field rat (Rattus tunneyi) is a small rat endemic to Australia. It is a nocturnal and herbivorous rodent that resides throughout the day in shallow burrows made in loose sand. Once widespread, its range has become greatly reduced and it is restricted to the grasslands, sedges, and cane-fields at the north and east of the continent. Its fur is an attractive yellow-brown colour, with grey or cream at the underside. This medium-sized rat has a tail shorter than its body.
Wikipedia contributors, Pale field rat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:42:17.191491+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Rattus tunneyi (Thomas, 1904)
- Name authority
- (Thomas, 1904)
- Common name
- Australian Pale Field 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 tunneyi (Thomas, 1904)
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 |
| Nicobar Archipelago RatRattus burrus (Miller, 1902) | 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 |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Rattus melvilleus Thomas, 1921 Thomas, 1921 | synonym |
| Rattus culmorum austrinus Thomas, 1921 Thomas, 1921 | synonym |
| Mus culmorum Thomas & Dollman, 1909 Thomas & Dollman, 1909 | synonym |
| Mus woodwardi Thomas, 1908 Thomas, 1908 | synonym |
| Rattus culmorum apex Troughton, 1939 Troughton, 1939 | synonym |
| Rattus culmorum vallesius Thomas, 1921 Thomas, 1921 | synonym |
| Rattus tunneyi dispar Brazenor, 1936 Brazenor, 1936 | 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=585558 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:4RM7R. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.