明确能有效鉴定区分啮齿动物近似种的体型和头骨特征指标，有利于因地制宜地快速、准确鉴定近似种。我们利用一段725 bp Vkorc1基因序列鉴定了36只同域分布的褐家鼠 (Rattus norvegicus) (n = 31) 和黄胸鼠 (Rattus tanezumi) (n = 5) 个体，随后分别就这些样本的胴体重、体长、尾长、耳长和后足长及尾长/体长、耳长/体长、后足长/体长和肥满度等指标的21种指标组，及10只褐家鼠和3只黄胸鼠的2种头骨指标组进行了主成分分析及聚类分析，比较了这些指标组对两物种的分类鉴定结果。结果显示，尾长/体长、耳长/体长和肥满度指标组，及上颊齿列基长、下颊齿列基长、听泡长和听泡宽指标组可将两物种完全区分开。结果为使用体型或头骨指标准确鉴定区分这两物种提供了清晰依据和可靠分析手段。

Clarifying the validity of characters that can classify similar rodent species can contribute to defining species quickly and accurately. We identified 36 sympatric rats into R. norvegicus (n = 31) and R. tanezumi (n = 5) by aligning the partial sequence of Vkorc1 gene (725 bp). Based on the identification results of Vkorc1 gene, we compared the accuracy of the classification and identification results of the two species by principal component analysis and cluster analysis of morphology and skull indices, which included 21 permutations of body weight, body length, tail length, ear length and hind foot length, tail length/body length, hind foot length/body length and fatness, and 2 combining indices of skull metrics. The body metrics combination of tail length/body length, ear length/body length, and fatness accurately classified all individuals of the two species. The skull morphology index combination of the length of the upper cheek tooth row, length of the lower cheek tooth row, length of the tympanic bulla, and width of the tympanic bulla also all individuals of the two species. These results provided the critical body or skull morphological characters and corresponding analytical approaches for classifying and identifying the two species.