Thomas's mosaic-tailed rat

Thomas's mosaic-tailed rat (Paramelomys mollis) is a rodent of the family Muridae found in West Papua, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. It was described by Thomas in 1913 from the upper Utakwa River on the southern slope of Mount Carstenz, and it was long confused with Paramelomys levipes before J. I. Menzies restored it as a distinct species in 1996. It is tied to montane forest and old garden plots, scattered along the Central Cordillera of New Guinea from the Arfak Mountains to Mount Dayman at roughly 1200 to 2500 m. The animal is large for its genus, with a head and body of 130 to 182 mm, dense and woolly reddish-brown to dark brown fur, a dark eye-ring, grey cheeks and a narrow hindfoot. It is terrestrial and has a low reproductive rate, with females giving birth to a single young. The IUCN Red List rates it Least Concern, noting that it is widespread across its range.