A case of melanoma in a native Australian murid, the spinifex hopping-mouse (Notomys alexis)

Generally the reporting of diseases and parasites in Australian native murids is rare despite murids making up ~25% of the native mammal fauna of Australia. This paper reports a malignant melanoma in a captive spinifex hoppingmouse (Notomys alexis) and is the first case of melanoma reported in any native Australian murid. With no exposure to ultraviolet radiation the melanoma is proposed to be the result of genetic predisposition and age. As no other reports have been observed in the colony it is likely to be a very rare event in captivity and unlikely to occur in the wild.