Eastern Voalavo

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Eastern Voalavo
Systematics
Subordination : Mouse relatives (Myomorpha)
Superfamily : Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family : Nesomyidae
Subfamily : Madagascar rats (Nesomyinae)
Genre : Voalavos ( Voalavo )
Type : Eastern Voalavo
Scientific name
Voalavo antsahabensis
Goodman , Rakotondravony , Rakotondravony , Rakotomalala-Razanahoera , 2005

The Eastern Voalavo ( Voalavo antsahabensis ) is a species of Madagascar rats within the Voalavos known by only two species . The species lives endemically in the central-eastern part of Madagascar , where it is only known from a single location.

features

The Eastern Voalavo reaches a head-trunk length of 8.5 to 10 centimeters with a tail length of 10 to 12.3 centimeters, the weight is 19 to 26 grams. This makes it a very small species of rodent. The fur of the animals is dense and soft with a silky texture. The back color is medium gray, the flanks and the neck are a little browner and the belly is white to light gray. The tail is largely bare and two-tone, the top is gray and the underside is white. The lower legs are brownish gray, the feet and toes are completely white.

The females have three pairs of teats .

distribution

Locations of the two previously known Voalavos. Green: Eastern Voalavo. Red: Northern Voalavo.

Both Voalavo species are only endemic to Madagascar and are only known from individual sites. The evidence for the Eastern Voalavo comes from the province of Antananarivo near the city of Anjozorobe in the central-eastern part of the island.

Way of life

Very little information is available about the way of life of the Voalavos. The Eastern Voalavo occurs in moist mountain rainforest areas at altitudes between 1250 and 1450 meters. The animals probably feed on seeds and other parts of plants. They are nocturnal and may live in ground nests or in the foliage of trees. You will be able to climb lianas that are thinner than a pencil.

The animals have glands in the upper chest area, which produce a specific scent, especially in males capable of mating, in order to attract females. The females probably give birth to a litter with an average of two young at the end of the rainy season from August to September.

Systematics

The Eastern Voalavo is classified as an independent species within the genus of the Voalavos ( Voalavo ), which besides it only contains the Northern Voalavo described in 1998 . The first scientific description of the species comes from the zoologists Steven M. Goodman , Daniel Rakotondravony , Hary N. Randriamanantsoa and Marlène Rakotomalala-Razanahoera from 2005, who described it using individuals from the area around Anjozorobe.

Apart from the nominate form, no subspecies are distinguished within the species .

Status, threat and protection

The Eastern Voalavo is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as threatened ("endangered"). The main threat to this species is habitat loss and degradation as a result of slash and burn from agricultural activities. A potential threat is also a disease that has been transmitted to Malagasy rodents by introduced fleas from introduced rodents.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Northern Naked-tail Forest Mouse. In: SM Goodman, A. Monadjem: Family Nesomyidae (Pouched Rats, Climbing Mice and Fat Mice) In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editor): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Rodents 2. (HMW, Volume 7) Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2017, pp. 188-189. ISBN 978-84-16728-04-6 .
  2. ↑ Michael D. Carleton, Steven M. Goodman: New taxa of nesomyine rodents (Muroidea: Muridae) from Madagascar's northern highlands, with taxonomic comments on previously described forms. Fieldiana Zoology 90, 1998; Pp. 163–200, species and genus description: pp. 182–183. ( Digitized version , description ).
  3. ↑ a b Steven M. Goodman, Daniel Rakotondravony, Hary N. Randriamanantsoa, ​​Marlène Rakotomalala-Razanahoera: A new species of rodent from the montane forest of central eastern Madagascar (Muridae: Nesomyinae: Voalavo). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 118 (4), 2005; Pp. 863-873. doi : 10.2988 / 0006-324X (2005) 118 [863: ANSORF] 2.0.CO; 2 .
  4. ↑ a b voalavo antsahabensis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: R. Kennerley, 2016. Retrieved on 18 May 2020th

literature

  • Northern Naked-tail Forest Mouse. In: SM Goodman, A. Monadjem: Family Nesomyidae (Pouched Rats, Climbing Mice and Fat Mice) In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editor): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Rodents 2. (HMW, Volume 7) Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2017, pp. 188-189. ISBN 978-84-16728-04-6 .
  • Steven M. Goodman, Daniel Rakotondravony, Hary N. Randriamanantsoa, ​​Marlène Rakotomalala-Razanahoera: A new species of rodent from the montane forest of central eastern Madagascar (Muridae: Nesomyinae: Voalavo). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 118 (4), 2005; Pp. 863-873. doi : 10.2988 / 0006-324X (2005) 118 [863: ANSORF] 2.0.CO; 2 .

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