NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Petter's Tufted-tailed Rat
Eliurus petteri Carleton, 1994
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
Petter's tufted-tailed rat (Eliurus petteri) is a rodent in the genus Eliurus found in lowland eastern Madagascar. First described in 1994, it is most closely related to the smaller Eliurus grandidieri. Virtually nothing is known of its natural history, except that it occurs in rainforest and is nocturnal and solitary. It is threatened by destruction and fragmentation of its habitat and is listed as "Vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List.
With a head and body length of 130 to 136 mm (5.1 to 5.4 in), Eliurus petteri is a moderately large species of Eliurus. Its upperparts are gray-brown to gray and contrast sharply with the white underparts. The tail tuft, a characteristic feature of Eliurus, is weakly developed. The skull is delicate and the incisive foramina (openings in the front part of the palate) are short and narrow. The incisors are weak.
Wikipedia contributors, Petter's tufted-tailed rat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:27:39.738599+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Eliurus petteri Carleton, 1994
- Name authority
- Carleton, 1994
- Common name
- Petter's Tufted-tailed Rat
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Nesomyidae
- Genus
- Eliurus
- 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
- familyNesomyidae Forsyth Major, 1897
- subfamilyNesomyinae Forsyth Major, 1897
- genusEliurus Milne-Edwards, 1885
- speciesEliurus petteri Carleton, 1994
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Eliurus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Tsingy Tufted-tailed RatEliurus antsingy Carleton, Goodman & Rakotondravony, 2001 | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lesser Tufted-tailed RatEliurus minor Forsyth Major, 1896 | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Webb's Tufted-tailed RatEliurus webbi Ellerman, 1949 | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tanala Tufted-tailed RatEliurus tanala Forsyth Major, 1896 | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Grandidier's Tufted-tailed RatEliurus grandidieri Carleton & Goodman, 1998 | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ellerman's Tufted-tailed RatEliurus ellermani Carleton, 1994 | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
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=970581 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:6F5NV. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.