Pogonomelomys Rümmler 1936

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Muridae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 1189-1531 : 1439

Pogonomelomys Rümmler 1936

Pogonomelomys Rümmler 1936 , Z. Saugetierk., 11: 248.

Type Species: Melomys mayeri Rothschild and Dollman 1932

Species and subspecies: 2 species:

Species Pogonomelomys bruijni (Peters and Doria 1876)

Species Pogonomelomys mayeri (Rothschild and Dollman 1932)

Discussion: Pogonomys Division. Member of the New Guinea Old Endemics ( Musser, 1981 c). Revised by Menzies (1990). Originally described as a subgenus of Melomys , but now regarded as a distinct genus ( Laurie and Hill, 1954; Menzies, 1990; Tate, 1951). Its phylogenetic relationships to Melomys and other related genera in the Uromys cluster still require resolution by multi-trait morphological and molecular inquiries. Our examination of skins and skulls, however, suggests Pogonomelomys is not closely related to any member in the Uromys Division. Spermatozoal morphology is also unlike that of Uromys and most of its allies (Musser and Breed, ms), but resembles that of some of the genera we list in our Pogonomys Division ( Breed and Aplin, 1994; Musser and Breed, ms), where we provisionally place Pogonomelomys . Aplin et al. (1999) reported on material of a likely undescribed species of Pogonomelomys from Holocene archaeological sites on the Ayamaru Plateau, central Bird’s Head Peninsula of Prov. of Papua (= Irian Jaya).