Alpine forest mouse

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Alpine forest mouse
Apodemus alpicola.jpg

Alpine wood mouse ( Apodemus alpicola )

Systematics
Superfamily : Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family : Long-tailed mice (Muridae)
Subfamily : Old World Mice (Murinae)
Tribe : Apodemini
Genre : Wood mice ( Apodemus )
Type : Alpine forest mouse
Scientific name
Apodemus alpicola
Heinrich , 1952

The alpine wood mouse ( Apodemus alpicola ) is a species from the genus wood mice in the family of long-tailed mice (Muridae) that occurs in the European Alps . It was originally described as an alpine subspecies of the yellow-necked mouse ( Apodemus flavicollis ) and has only had species status since 1989. The Alpine forest mouse is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN .

Taxonomy

The alpine forest mouse was recognized as an independent species in 1989 due to morphological differences. Various molecular biological studies in the following years confirmed this taxonomy . According to this, the Ural wood mouse ( Apodemus uralensis ) is probably the closest relative of the Alpine wood mouse. Both species as well as the yellow-necked mouse and the steppe forest mouse ( Apodemus witherbyi ) probably developed from a common ancestor.

features

The head-trunk length is between 9 and 12 cm and the tail length between 10 and 12 cm. The weight varies between 20 and 38 g. The alpine forest mouse is brown on the back and outside of the limbs, with the uppermost areas being the darkest. The belly and the inside of the limbs are dark to white gray. There is often a yellowish spot on the throat. Morphological differences to the yellow-necked mouse only exist in details in the skull structure . The hind feet are about 2.5 cm long and quite large for a wood mouse. These and the long tail help the animal when climbing in rocky terrain.

distribution

The distribution area extends over almost the entire Alps from southwest France through southern Switzerland and southeast Germany to northern Italy and central Austria . The species reaches 2,100 meters above sea level in these regions. Their habitat are forests or other trees that are interrupted by grassy areas or rocky areas.

Way of life

The behavior of the alpine forest mouse resembles the other species of the genus. There are only noticeable differences in the choice of food. It prefers to catch insects in spring , while its diet consists mainly of seeds from small, herbaceous plants in summer and autumn.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World . A taxonomic and geographic Reference . 3. Edition. 2 volumes. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 (English, Apodemus alpicola ).
  2. ↑ a b Apodemus alpicola in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2012. Posted by: Bertolino, S., Meinig, H. & Spitzenberger, F., 2008. Retrieved on January 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ Dr. Richard Kraft (2010): Alpenwaldmaus ( Apodemus alpicola ) , Zoological State Collection Munich, accessed: January 13, 2014.
  4. ↑ a b Brigitte A. Reutter (2005): The diet of the Alpine mouse Apodemus alpicola in the Swiss Alps (abstract) , Mammalian Biology - Journal for Mammalian Science, Volume 70, Issue 3, Pages 147–155

Web links

  • Pictures , Zoological State Collection, Munich