Rattus sordidus (Gould, 1858) . Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1857:242.

TYPE LOCALITY: Australia, Queensland, “open plains of" Darling Downs .

DISTRIBUTION: S.C. and S.E. New Guinea; Queensland, Northern Territory, New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia (Australia).

COMMENT: Includes contatus; see Taylor and Horner, 1973, Bull. Am. Mus . Nat. Hist., 150 (l): 75. Taylor and Horner, 1973, included villosissimus and colletti in this species, but Baverstock et al., 1977, Chromosoma, 61:227-241, considered them separate species, while Ride, 1970:138, considered villosissimus distinct. Dennis and Menzies, 1978, Aust. J. Zool., 26: 197-206, considered bunae and gestri (or gestroi) distinct species from New Guinea; but see Musser, 1981, Bull. Am. Mus . Nat. Hist., 169(2): 119, 120, 123- 124, who included bunae, colletti, gestri (or gestroi), and villosissimus in sordidus . R. s. sordidus, colletti, and villosissimus, will hybridize but the hybrids exhibit reduced fertility (CHSW).

ISIS NUMBER: 5301410011058103001.