Zoology

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https://hdl.handle.net/2440/5129

The Department of Zoology was absorbed into the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences in 1999 therefore this collection contains items published before 1999.

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Browsing Zoology by Author "Aplin, K."

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    New record of Melomys burtoni (Mammalia, Rodentia, Murinae) from Halmahera (North Moluccas, Indonesia): a review of Moluccan Melomys
    (De Gruyter, 2018) Fabre, P.; Fitriana, Y.; Semiadi, G.; Pagès, M.; Aplin, K.; Supriatna, N.; Helgen, K.
    Mosaic-tailed rodents of the genus Melomys belong to the Australasian old endemic murine radiation and exhibit a rat-like morphology with arboreal or scansorial specializations. Here we report a new population of Melomys burtoni from the island of Halmahera (in the North Moluccas, Indonesia). Our molecular phylogenetic results highlight close relationships and recent evolutionary divergences among M. burtoni from Halmahera and the Australo-Papuan taxa M. burtoni and M. lutillus and other Moluccan taxa, including M. paveli. Multivariate as well as geometric morphometric analyses of cranial, and dental features support the recognition of M. burtoni from Halmahera as a slightly distinctive insular population, preventing us from elevating it as a new taxa. This population is recorded from lowland secondary forest and forest edge habitats in south-central Halmahera. As with other Moluccan endemic murines, colonization by an Australo-Papuan ancestor and subsequent isolation is the probable mode of diversification for M. burtoni in Halmahera. The discovery of Melomys in Halmahera fills a previously puzzling gap in knowledge of the murine fauna of the Moluccas and the biogeography of the Wallacean region.
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    Phylogenetic relationships of the cuscuses (Diprotodontia: Phalangeridae) of island Southeast Asia and Melanesia based on the mitochondrial ND2 gene
    (CSIRO PUBLISHING, 2019) Kealy, S.; Donnellan, S.C.; Mitchell, K.J.; Herrera, M.; Aplin, K.; O'Connor, S.; Louys, J.
    The species-level systematics of the marsupial family Phalangeridae, particularly Phalanger, are poorly understood, due partly to the family’s wide distribution across Australia, New Guinea, eastern Indonesia, and surrounding islands. In order to refine the species-level systematics of Phalangeridae, and improve our understanding of their evolution, we generated 36 mitochondrial ND2 DNA sequences from multiple species and sample localities. We combined our new data with available sequences and produced the most comprehensive molecular phylogeny for Phalangeridae to date. Our analyses (1) strongly support the monophyly of the three phalangerid subfamilies (Trichosurinae, Ailuropinae, Phalangerinae); (2) reveal the need to re-examine all specimens currently identified as ‘Phalanger orientalis’; and (3) suggest the elevation of the Solomon Island P. orientalis subspecies to species level (P. breviceps Thomas, 1888). In addition, samples of P. orientalis from Timor formed a clade, consistent with an introduction by humans from a single source population. However, further research on east Indonesian P. orientalis populations will be required to test this hypothesis, resolve inconsistencies in divergence time estimates, and locate the source population and taxonomic status of the Timor P. orientalis.