Morphometrics of Rattus rattus and Rattus norvegicus: A systematic review of body measurements and their use in species identification

This systematic review aims to compile and analyze morphometric data on Rattus rattus and Rattus norvegicus, focusing on body measurements such as head-body length, tail length, foot length, and weight. The objective is to assess how these parameters are used for taxonomic and ecological identification of these rodent species, especially in urban contexts. The review follows the PRISMA-EcoEvo guidelines and includes peer-reviewed literature indexed in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. The expected contribution is to improve the diagnostic criteria used to distinguish these species and to support future research on the ecology of urban rodents.