Tag Archives: Caribbean Netherlands

Cricetidae gen. & sp. ‘St. Martin’

St. Martin Rice Rat (Cricetidae gen. & sp.)

The St. Martin Rice Rat is known from subfossil remains that were recovered from an archaeological site named Hope Estate on the island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten in the Lesser Antilles. 

The species survived into the Holocene, most likely even well into the 19th century. [1]

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References:

[1] Elizabeth Reitz; C. Margaret Scarry; Sylvia J. Scudder: Case Studies in Environmental Archaeology (Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology). Springer; Second Edition 2007

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edited: 17.02.2020

Galactia nummularia Urb.

Sint Maarten Galactia (Galactia nummularia)

This species was described in 1909, it was endemic to the island of St. Martin, where it apparently was restricted to littoral habitats at the Guana Bay in the southeastern part of the island.

The species is known from a single collection and was never found again, it is now considered extinct.

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edited: 27.01.2020

Cricetidae gen. & sp. ‘Saba’

Saba Rice Rat (Cricetidae gen. & sp.)

The Saba Rice Rat is known from subfossil remains that were recovered from an archaeological site named Kelbey’s Ridge on the small island of Saba in the Caribbean Netherlands.

The remains of this species were dated to about 1290 to 1400 AD.. [1][2]

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References:

[1] Elizabeth Reitz; C. Margaret Scarry; Sylvia J. Scudder: Case Studies in Environmental Archaeology (Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology). Springer; Second Edition 2007
[2] S. T. Turvey: Holocene Extinctions. Oxford University Press, USA 2009

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edited: 17.02.2020

Cricetidae gen. & sp. ‘ Bonaire’

Bonaire Rice Rat (Cricetidae gen. & sp.)

This species is known from subfossil material that was found on the island of Bonaire offshore the northern coast of Venezuela, and that was dated to Late Holocene age. [1]

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References:

[1] S. T. Turvey: Holocene Extinctions. Oxford University Press, USA 2009

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edited: 17.02.2020

Calyptranthes boldinghii Urb.

Sint Maarten-Myrtle (Calyptranthes boldinghii)  

The small, shrubby Sint Maarten-Myrtle was described in 1909, it is known only by the type material which was collected somewhere in the Dutch southern part of the island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin.

The species was not found again since, it is very likely extinct. 

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edited: 07.10.2020

Pennatomys nivalis Turvey, Weksler, Morris & Nokkert

Nevis Rice Rat (Pennatomys nivalis)  

The Nevis Rice Rat was described in 2010 based on subfossil remains found in Amerindian archaeological sites that date from about 790 B.C. to 1200 A.D..  

The rat inhabited the islands of Nevis and St. Kitts, Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as the nearby Sint Eustatius, Caribbean Netherlands, which together formed a single larger island during Quaternary low sea-level stands. [2]  

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The Nevis Rat may in fact have survived until the 20th century because there are several reports from the early 18th up to the early 20th century of rats being eaten on Nevis and St. Kitts, some of the rats recorded as unusual-looking, so that they may well represent this species, yet this can possibly never be proved.  

In a report by Reverend William Smith from 1720 it can be read.:  

“… others will wrap up Cane Rats, in Banano-Leaves, and roast them in Wood Embers.” [1]  

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Nevis Island is now overrun by introduced predatory mongooses and rats. [2]  

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References:  

[1] William Smith, Revd. Mr.: A natural history of Nevis and the rest of the English Leeward Charibee Islands in America: with many other observations on nature and art, particularly an introduction to the art of decyphering. Cambridge: printed by J. Bentham 1745 
[2] S. T. Turvey; M. Weksler; E. L. Morris; M. Nokkert: Taxonomy, phylogeny and diversity of the extinct Lesser Antillean rice rats (Sigmodontinae: Oryzomyini), with description of a new genus and species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 160(4): 784-772. 2010

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edited: 17.02.2020