ABSTRACT
The group of Australian rats is primarily associated with grasslands in the tropical north or the arid interior of the continent. One form, known variously as Rattus sordidus sordidus, R. s. conatus and R. conatus, is a major pest of sugar cane in northeast Queensland. During the dry seasons between monsoons, the refuge areas become too arid and the rats are then found only on the flood plain proper. Movement and temporary occupation of habitats is a feature of these rats which will affect trapping results and large differences in population density between even nearby grids is not unusual for all three forms.
