A team of biologists has discovered a new genus of mammal in the Halmahera island, it is a type of rat! The endemic rodent is rather surprisingly close to the locality of Boki Mekot, a mountainous area under immense ecological threat due to mining and deforestation. The species was previously known to the people of that region only! It is a terrestrial spiny rat with brownish grey fur on its back and a greyish white belly, it also possesses a white tail tip. The leader of this successful project, Pierre Henry Fabre, affiliated to the "Centre for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate", states:
“This new rodent highlights the large amount of unknown biodiversity in this Wallacean region and the importance of its conservation. It constitutes a valuable addition to our knowledge of the Wallacean biodiversity and much remains to be learned about mammalian biodiversity across this region. Zoologists must continue to explore this area in order to discover and describe new species in this highly diverse, but also threatened region.”
Apparently, this discovery massively supports Wallace's idea of faunal backup. Most of the species reflect their eastern originality, but this rat stands out for its western originality, as confirmed by the team of Pierre Henry Fabre. This study also found that Wallace's zoogeographical boundaries are remarkably accurate! Pierre Henry Fabre expresses his thoughts:
“Such a remarkable island setting inspired one of the greatest biologists of all time, and if Sir Alfred Russell Wallace were alive today he would surely be excited by the prospect of further conservation and biodiversity study within the Moluccas....”
This region had clearly inspired Sir Alfred Russell Wallace as he wrote his letter of evolution theory to Charles Darwin, back in 1858. The specifications of the fauna and flora and the biodiversity of this region made him to think deeper and he defined the zoogeographical boundaries using the concept of a "Wallace Line."
“This new rodent highlights the large amount of unknown biodiversity in this Wallacean region and the importance of its conservation. It constitutes a valuable addition to our knowledge of the Wallacean biodiversity and much remains to be learned about mammalian biodiversity across this region. Zoologists must continue to explore this area in order to discover and describe new species in this highly diverse, but also threatened region.”
Apparently, this discovery massively supports Wallace's idea of faunal backup. Most of the species reflect their eastern originality, but this rat stands out for its western originality, as confirmed by the team of Pierre Henry Fabre. This study also found that Wallace's zoogeographical boundaries are remarkably accurate! Pierre Henry Fabre expresses his thoughts:
“Such a remarkable island setting inspired one of the greatest biologists of all time, and if Sir Alfred Russell Wallace were alive today he would surely be excited by the prospect of further conservation and biodiversity study within the Moluccas....”
This region had clearly inspired Sir Alfred Russell Wallace as he wrote his letter of evolution theory to Charles Darwin, back in 1858. The specifications of the fauna and flora and the biodiversity of this region made him to think deeper and he defined the zoogeographical boundaries using the concept of a "Wallace Line."
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