Desmarest barbed pocket mouse
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Heteromys desmarestianus |
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| Heteromys desmarestianus | ||||||||||||
| Gray , 1868 |
The Desmarest barbed pocket mouse ( Heteromys desmarestianus ) is a type of barbed pocket mouse . It is the most widespread species of the genus, which occurs with 11 subspecies in a distribution area from southern Mexico to northern Colombia. According to individual authors, this is a species complex of several morphologically hardly distinguishable species.
features
The Desmarest barbed pocket mouse reaches an average head-trunk length of 13.0 to 13.3 centimeters with a weight of 61 to 83 grams, the tail is on average 14.2 to 14.8 centimeters long. The average ear length is 16 millimeters and the average hind foot length is 34 millimeters. It is a medium-sized species of the genus, the males are usually slightly larger than the females. The fur of the adult animals is coarse and contains individual stiffened, spiky hairs on the back and sides of the body. The fur on the back is gray to slate black with ocher-colored mottling of lighter hair. On the sides of the body there is usually a sand-colored line that separates the white side of the abdomen from the back. The ears are not outlined in white. The front areas of the soles of the hind feet are bare.
The karyotype consists of a diploid chromosome set of 2n = 60 chromosomes (FN = 67 to 90).
distribution
The distribution area of the Desmarest pocket mouse stretches from southern Mexico in the states of Veracruz , Oaxaca and Tabasco over most of Central America to the north of Colombia . The altitude distribution ranges from sea level to altitudes of up to 2400 meters.
Way of life
The Desmarest barbed pocket mouse occurs in numerous different habitats within its extensive distribution area. The spectrum ranges from the humid forest areas of the plains in southern Mexico to the cloud forests of the mountainous regions of Panama. The species prefers forest areas with palm stands and usually builds its constructions in the ground with vertical entrances in contrast to the constructions with 45 ° entrances of the deer mice ( Peromyscus ) found in the same habitats . Some of the nests of the Desmarest barbed pocket mouse can also be found in hollow tree trunks. In regions of the Yucatán Peninsula where the species occurs sympatric with the Gaumer barbed-pocket mouse ( Heteromys gaumeri ), it lives in the drier forest and thorn bush areas.
Like all other species of the genus, the Desmarest barbed-pocket mouse is nocturnal and primarily living on the ground, but it is also able to climb. The animals live in partly strongly overlapping territories with sizes from 0.02 to 0.8 hectares and are loosely organized socially and hierarchically. In seasonal forest regions, both the competitive and territorial behavior between the animals increases. The density varies greatly between the regions and also seasonally, as an example, 2 to 50 individuals per hectare were found. They feed mainly on seeds, fruits, green parts of plants and insects. The seeds that they primarily feed on include various palm seeds ( Socratea , Euterpe , Welfia , Geonoma , Iriartea ) as well as those of the sebum nutmeg tree ( Virola ) and those of other genera and species ( Meliosma , Enterolobium cyclocarpum , Pentaclethra , Nectandra ambigens ) . They collect the food in their fur-lined cheek pouches and hoard it in hiding places on the forest floor or take it to the burrow.
The breeding season of the Desmarest barbed mouse varies regionally. In evergreen forest regions it lasts for the whole year, in seasonal forest areas, on the other hand, it probably only lasts for 7 to 8 months. The females give birth to an average of 3 pups per litter, with the interval between gestation periods being around two months. The young are sexually mature after about 8 months and reproduce in the next reproductive time after their birth. The animal survival rate per year is 20 to 30 percent and the average lifespan is 24 to 27 months.
Systematics
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John Edward Gray named the type in 1868 after Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest .
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The Desmarest barbed pocket mouse is classified as an independent species within the genus of the barbed pocket mouse ( Heteromys ), which consists of 16 species. The first scientific description comes from John Edward Gray from 1868, who introduced it as Heteromys desmarestianus and named it after the natural scientist Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest , who established the genus Heteromys , among other things .
The species is assigned to the desmarestianus group within the barbed mice together with the cloud forest barbed pocket mouse ( Heteromys nubicolens ), the Goldman barbed pocket mouse ( Heteromys goldmani ) and the mountain barbed pocket mouse ( Heteromys oresterus ) .
Within the species, 11 subspecies are currently distinguished together with the nominate form :
- Heteromys desmarestianus desmarestianus Gray, 1868 : nominate form; occurs from southern Mexico via Guatemala and Belize to El Salvador.
- Heteromys desmarestianus chiriquensis Enders , 1938 : lives in the southeast of Costa Rica and in western Panama.
- Heteromys desmarestianus crassirostris Goldman , 1912 : occurs in the extreme east of Panama and in the north-west of Colombia.
- Heteromys desmarestianus fuscatus J.A. Allen , 1908 : lives in parts of Honduras and Nicaragua
- Heteromys desmarestianus panamensis Goldman, 1912 : lives in north-central Panama.
- Heteromys desmarestianus planifrons Goldman, 1937 : lives in the lowlands in western Costa Rica.
- Heteromys desmarestianus repens Bangs , 1902 : lives in southwest Panama
- Heteromys desmarestianus subaffinis Goldman, 1937 : occurs in north-eastern Costa Rica.
- Heteromys desmarestianus temporalis Goldman, 1911 : lives in the south of Mexico in the state of Veracruz.
- Heteromys desmarestianus underwoodi Goodwin , 1943 : occurs in central Costa Rica.
- Heteromys desmarestianus zonalis Goldman, 1912 : lives in northwest, central and eastern Panama.
In some cases, the Goldman barbed pocket mouse ( Heteromys goldmani ) , which is now independent again, was considered a subspecies of the Desmarest barbed pocket mouse . In addition, according to various authors, Heteromys desmarestianus is probably a species complex that contains some not yet described cryptic species .
Status, threat and protection
The Desmarest pocket mouse is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as least concern due to its large distribution area and stable populations .
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Desmarest's Spiny Pocket Mouse. In: David J. Hafner: Subfamily Heteromyoninae, Genus Heteromys. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editor): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6) Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016, pp. 199– 200. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
- ↑ a b Heteromys (Heteromys) desmarestianus . In: 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 .
- ↑ Heteromys desmarestianus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2018 Posted by: F. Cassola, 2016. Accessed December 25, 2018th
literature
- Desmarest's Spiny Pocket Mouse. In: David J. Hafner: Subfamily Heteromyoninae, Genus Heteromys. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editor): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6) Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016, pp. 199– 200. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
Web links
- Heteromys desmarestianus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2018 Posted by: F. Cassola, 2016. Accessed December 25, 2018th