The existing mammal fauna of Borneo includes 26 named species
of the rodent family Muridae, subfamily Murinae (Emmons 1993; Payne &
Francis, 2005; Maryanto & Sinaga, 2008; Achmadi et al., 2012). Of these, 19
middle-sized to large species belong to genera formerly grouped within the
single genus Rattus by regional systematists including Chasen (1940), and
Ellerman & Morrison-Scott (1951). Now divided among six genera, Lenothrix,
Leopoldamys, Sundamys, Maxomys, Rattus and Niviventer (Wilson & Reeder,
2005), these species (Table 1) are collectively regarded as ‘rats’ for present purposes: tikus in Bahasa Malaysia
