Megalomys luciae

Megalomys luciae
Stuffed specimen
Conservation status
Extinct (1881)  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Cricetidae
Subfamily:	Sigmodontinae
Genus:	†Megalomys
Species:	†M. luciae
Binomial name
†Megalomys luciae (Forsyth Major, 1901)
Synonyms
Oryzomys luciae Major, 1901

Megalomys luciae, also known as the Saint Lucia pilorie^[2] or Saint Lucia giant rice-rat,^[1] as well as several variant spellings, is an extinct rodent that lived on the island of Saint Lucia in the eastern Caribbean.

Description

It was the size of a small cat, and it had a darker belly than Megalomys desmarestii, a closely related species from Martinique, and slender claws. Other physical features include brown/ochre dorsal coloration and white soft fur patches. Individuals had webbed hind feet, smooth heels with interdigital pads. Their tail was longer than the length of the body from head to toe; the tail contained sparse hairs and was mainly covered with epidermal scales. Their skulls were very delicate with an amphora shape.

Extinction

The last known specimen died in the London Zoo in 1852, after three years of captivity.^[3] It probably became extinct in the latter half of the 19th century due to introduction of the invasive small Indian mongoose, with the last record dating from 1881, right before mongoose introduction.^[4] There is a stuffed specimen in the collection of the Natural History Museum in London.

References

1. Turvey, S.T.; Helgen, K. (2017). "Megalomys luciae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T12981A22377126. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T12981A22377126.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
2. Musser, G.G. and Carleton, M.D. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. Pp. 894–1531 in Wilson, D.E. and Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference. 3rd ed. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols., 2142 pp. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0
3. Flannery, T. and Schouten, P. 2001. A Gap in Nature: Discovering the World's Extinct Animals. London: William Heinemann. ISBN 0-434-00819-2 (UK edition)
4. Ray, C.E. 1962. The Oryzomyine Rodents of the Antillean Subregion. Doctor of Philosophy thesis, Harvard University, 211 pp.