CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · Science & Nature

Masked white-tailed rat

species of mammal

Specimen drawers, botanical folios and brass scientific instruments under study light
Science and natureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMar 29, 2026
Entity authorityQ1761109
Source-derived summary

The masked white-tailed rat (Uromys hadrourus) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to the Wet Tropics bioregion of Queensland, Australia.

Descriptive English common names for this species include Masked White-tailed Rat and Thornton Peak Uromys. During the 1990s there was a push for such names to be replaced with indigenous Australian names, and accordingly, in 1995 the Australian Nature Conservation Agency published recommendations for the common names of rodents. They failed to identify any indigenous Australian names for U. hadrourus, so recommended the adoption of the name Kuku, the Kuku-Yalanki name for any rat. However this recommendation was not prescriptive, and it remains to be seen to what extent it will be adopted.

References

Musser, G. G.; Carleton, M. D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.).

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Masked white-tailed rat” as species of mammal. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA sound reference starting point where classification, measurement and the date of the underlying evidence remain visible. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1995, 2005—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Masked, white-tailed and species can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of mammal. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1761109. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1995 and 2005.

Critical limits

Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
Verify next

Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Masked white-tailed rat”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Masked white-tailed rat primary sources, Masked white-tailed rat archive and Masked research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Masked white-tailed rat”?
  2. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
  3. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Masked white-tailed rat” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.