The Foods Eaten by Some Australian Rodents (Muridae).

Abstract

From microscopic examination of faeces found in live-traps, the diets of 21 species of Australian rodents were studied. Results are tabulated for species and subspecies, and for different places of origin throughout Australia, for 1 to 14 rodents of the main species Rattus colletti, R. fuscipes, R. leucopus, R. lutreolus, R. rattus, R. sordidus, R. tunneyi, R. villosissimus, Melomys littoralis, Mesembriomys gouldi, Pseudomys gracilicandatus, P. nanus, Uromys candimaculatus, Zyzomys argurus and Z. woodwardi and their subspecies. The text gives results for 1 or 2 rodents each of Conilurus penicillatus, Mastacomys fuscus, Notomys alexis, Pseudomys delicatulus, P. occidentalis and P. shortridgei. The Rattus spp. were separated into 3 groups by diet; R. tumeyi and R. sordidus ate 80% grass and under 5% insects by volume. R. villosissimus, R. colletti and R. lutreolus ate 20 to 50% grass and 5 to 20% insects; R. rattus may be of that group. R. leucopus and R. fuscipes ate less than 10% grass and 20 to 90% insects. For the last 2 groups seeds were important.