Jakarta –
The research team from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) together with partners from the United States, Australia, France and Malaysia succeeded in uncovering the species of new forest mice Sulawesi. This species is named Crunomys owner.
The name refers to the discovery location on Mount Tompotika, Central Sulawesi. This discovery is said to be a part of a major study of the systematic and biogeography of Southeast Asian mammals.
“This discovery adds to the long list of Sulawesi endemic mammals which continue to grow with more intensive field exploration,” said Researcher of the Biosystematics and Evolution Research Center (PRBE) Brin, Anang Setiawan Achmadi, quoted from the Brin page, Wednesday (27/8/2025)
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This discovery is not only good news for the world of science, but also emphasizes Sulawesi’s status as a ‘paradise’ for rare species that are not widely known.
Ciri-Ciri crunomys owner
This mouse has a medium body size, a shorter tail than body length, as well as a typical genus tight hair Crunomys. Its habitat is in natural mountain forests with dense vegetation that is relatively uncostal.
Anang said, this study revised the great taxonomy in the world of small mammals. All members of Maxomys (spinous rats/spin Rats) are now combined into the genus Crunomysbased on high resolution genomic analysis.
“Analysis of thousands of DNA markers, including high resolution genomic data, shows that Maxomys does not form a group that is intact (non-monphiletic) if separated from Crunomys. Therefore, this revision is considered the most appropriate to reflect the actual evolutionary relationship, “explained Anang.
More than 20 new species from Sulawesi since 2012
Crunomys owner Not the only new discovery from Sulawesi. Since 2012, more than 20 new mammal species have been found on this island. This shows that the Wallacea region, where Sulawesi is still holding many natural mysteries that have not been explored.
“The discovery of new species Crunomys From this Sulawesi opening a new window to the history of the evolution of small animals in the Wallacea region, and emphasizes the importance of re -classification at the genus level to understand the diversity of Indonesian mammals more accurately, “Anang said.
This research also highlighted the importance of international collaboration and the use of sophisticated genomic technology. The technology is designed to produce sharper and comprehensive evolutionary data.
It could be the basis of conservation policy
This finding opens great opportunities for further research, especially in the ecological aspects and the role of Crunomys Tompotika in the Sulawesi Forest Ecosystem. Anang hopes that this data can be a strong foundation for conservation policies and strengthen Indonesian biodiversity research.
“This data is expected to be an important foothold to strengthen conservation policies and spur further research in documenting Indonesia’s biological wealth,” concluded Anang.
This research has been published in the International Journal of Journal of Mammalogy June 13, 2025, entitled Systematics and historical biogeography of Crunomys and Maxomys (Muridae: Murinae), with the description of a new species from Sulawesi and new genus-level classification.
(Cyu/Faz)
