Nineteen species of rodents, in two families, have been recorded from Victoria
in the modern era. Eighteen are of the family Muridae, represented by 15
native and 3 introduced species. The other species, now extinct in Victoria,
was the introduced Sciurus carolinensis. Six of the
native species are extinct, one is classified Critically Endangered, one
Endangered and four Lower Risk – near threatened. Four of the extinct
species were restricted to the semi-arid far north-west; these were
Leporillus apicalis, L. conditor,
Pseudomys bolami and P. desertor.
The two other extinct species, Conilurus albipes and
Pseudomys australis, inhabited open forest/woodland,
and grassy ecosystems. Extant species include
Rattus fuscipes and R. lutreolus,
both in the sub-family Murinae; both are widespread and common, particularly
in southern Victoria. The remaining seven species are in the sub-family
Hydromyinae. Hydromys chrysogaster is widespread in
waterbodies throughout the state. Notomys mitchellii and
Pseudomys apodemoides occur in dry habitats in the
north-west of Victoria; they are uncommon, but most of their habitat is
reserved. Mastacomys fuscus, found in higher-rainfall
areas of southern and eastern Victoria, from coastal dunes to alpine
snowfields, is uncommon. The distribution of
Pseudomys fumeus is disjunct, in four widely separated
areas. It is classified as Endangered. P. shortridgei is
restricted to the Grampians and south-western Victoria, where it may be
locally common. The most geographically restricted rodent species in Victoria,
Pseudomys novaehollandiae, is Critically Endangered and
is the subject of special conservation measures. The most critical threats to
rodent populations in Victoria are considered to be (1) the lack of active
habitat management for those species that require early seral stages in
vegetation, (2) predation by introduced carnivores, and (3) the fragmentation
of species into small genetically isolated populations.
Ontogenetic diet shifts in the reef fish Pseudanthias rubrizonatus from isolated populations on the North-West Shelf of Australia