African rock mice
| African rock mice | ||||||||||||
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| Petromyscus | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1926 |
The African rock mice ( Petromyscus ) are a genus of the mice that is isolated in the biological system. Though mouse-like in appearance, due to the anatomical characteristics of their jaws and teeth, they are placed in a separate subfamily of the new Nesomyidae family .
Rock mice have a head body length of 7 to 9 cm, plus 8 to 10 cm of tail. They are brownish or gray on the top and white on the underside. During the day they hide in crevices in the rock, at night they look for food. It is believed that in addition to seeds and plant parts, they also eat insects. Overall, very little is known about the biology of these animals.
While most older sources indicate two types, Wilson & Reeder concluded from research on museum specimens the existence of four types:
- Brukkaros pygmy rock mouse , Petromyscus monticularis ( Thomas & Hinton 1925 ), southern Namibia
- Pygmy rock mouse , Petromyscus collinus ( Thomas & Hinton 1925 ), southern Angola , Namibia, western South Africa
- Barbour rock mouse , Petromyscus barbouri Shortridge & Carter 1938 , Namaqualand
- Shortridge rock mouse , Petromyscus shortridgei Thomas 1926 , western Angola, northern Namibia
Until recently, they were united in a subfamily with Delany's swamp climbing mouse , but this relationship is also doubtful. The earlier connection was mainly based on similarly shaped cusps on the molar teeth. However, other zoologists see a closer relationship to the African hamster ( Mystromys albicaudatus ). According to a 2006 genetic study, the split from other family members occurred 12 or 11 million years ago. It is believed that the extinct species Harimyscus hoali , which lived in Namibia in the Miocene , is the oldest known member of the subfamily Petromyscinae.
supporting documents
- ↑ Richard W. Thorington Jr., Chad E. Shennum: Petromyscinae. In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 203-204; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .
Web links
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .