Dark opossum mouse
| Dark opossum mouse | ||||||||||||
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Dark opossum mouse skeleton |
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| Caenolestes convelatus | ||||||||||||
| Anthony , 1924 |
The Dark Opossummaus ( Caenolestes convelatus ) is a type of authentics Opossummäuse within the shrew opossum (Caenolestidae). She lives in the northern Andes in parts of Ecuador and Colombia.
features
The dark opossum mouse reaches a total length of 256 millimeters with a tail length of about 124 millimeters, the weight is about 40 grams. The adult males are significantly larger than the females. Like the other species of Mausopossums, it is similar in appearance to the shrews and has a long, drawn out snout. The dark opossum mouse also hardly differs from the gray-bellied opossum mouse ( Caenolestes caniventer ) and both have a significantly denser coat compared to the Ecuador opossum mouse ( Caenolestes fuliginosus ) with hair up to 10 millimeters long, some of which have white hair tips. The fur is shiny and silky, it is colored brown-black. The species can only be reliably distinguished from the gray-bellied opossum mouse on the basis of its enlarged molars. Like other species of mouse opossum, representatives of this species also have lip valves that are unusual for marsupials, which probably ensure that the animals do not accidentally get earth into their mouths. The animals have short and strong legs with five toes each, with the middle three toes each shorter than the outer toes. The long tail is dark brown and can sometimes be used as a grasping tail and support the animal while climbing. The upper arm bones are very strong, the thigh bones, however, comparatively narrow.
| 4th | · | 1 | · | 3 | · | 4th | = 46 |
| 3 | · | 1 | · | 3 | · | 4th |
Like other species of Mausopossums, this species also has a family-style set of teeth with enlarged lower central incisors that protrude forward and a reduced number of incisors compared to other marsupials. The species of the genus have four incisors , a canine , three premolars and two molars in one upper jaw half, in the lower jaw they have one less incisor per half. The animals have a total of 46 teeth.
Like other marsupials, the mouse opossums have two uteri and two vaginae , and it is assumed that the number of ovaries corresponds to the number of teats (unlike opossums ). The species of the actual opossum mice do not have a belly pouch (pouch); However, they have four teats , two of which are located on the abdomen on the abdomen.
distribution
The dark opossum mouse occurs in the South American Andes in two isolated mountain ranges in central and northern Ecuador and in western Colombia . The altitude distribution of the species is in Colombia between 1800 and 3800 meters, in Ecuador between 1100 and 2980 meters. An individual record from an altitude of 4100 meters is available from the eastern Andean range of Ecuador.
Parts of the distribution area overlap with that of the gray-bellied opossum mouse ( Caenolestes caniventer ).
Way of life
The dark opossum mouse lives in forests in the higher elevations of the Andes, where it is documented in both primary and secondary forests . It prefers cool and humid climates and creates canals and paths under the root systems of trees along rivers.
The animals of the genus are solitary and especially active at night. They live on the ground, but are also good climbers. They spend the day in tunnels under tree roots. They eat opportunistically and are omnivorous . They live mainly on insects, but also eat vegetable food, especially fruit, and also prey on small vertebrates, including small and young mice. Among the insects, they mainly prey on beetles, flies, crickets and grasshoppers as well as butterflies and their caterpillars, as well as earthworms, centipedes and spiders. They seek their prey in the vegetation, especially in cushions of moss and piles of leaves. They hold their prey with their front feet while eating.
There are no observations on the mating behavior of the mouse opossums; the animals probably have one reproductive phase per year that lasts from February to August. However, the females of the genus and thus also the dark opossum mouse do not have a belly pouch like other marsupials. In young animals, a belly fold is formed which, however, recedes by the time they reach sexual maturity.
Systematics
The dark opossum mouse is classified as an independent species within the genus of actual opossum mice ( Caenolestes ). The genus contains a total of five species, with one species ( Caenolestes sangay ) only being described in 2013 . The first scientific description of the dark opossum mouse comes from Harold Elmer Anthony from 1924 using an individual from Las Máquinas in the Pichincha province in Ecuador.
Within the species, two subspecies are distinguished, Caenolestes convelatus convelatus and Caenolestes convelatus barbarensis .
Existence, endangerment and protection
The dark opossum mouse is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as endangered (vulnerable) primarily due to its small, highly fragmented distribution area and the declining populations and habitat destruction. The main threats are the conversion and the associated loss of habitats into agricultural areas and the deforestation of forest areas, with the southern distribution areas being more at risk than the northern ones.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Leila Siciliano: Caenolestes convelatus, blackish shrew opossum. in the Animal Diversity Net. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
- ↑ a b c d Caenolestes convelatus in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2013.2. Posted by: B. Patterson, M. Gomez-Laverde, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
- ^ Reed Ojala-Barbour, C. Miguel Pinto, Jorge Brito M., Luis Albuja V., Thomas E. Lee, Jr. and Bruce D. Patterson. 2013. A New Species of Shrew Opossum (Paucituberculata: Caenolestidae) with A Phylogeny of Extant caenolestids. Journal of Mammalogy. 94 (5): 967-982. doi: 10.1644 / 13-MAMM-A-018.1
- ↑ a b Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Caenolestes convelatus ( Memento of the original dated December 31, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
Web links
- Caenolestes convelatus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: B. Patterson, M. Gomez-Laverde, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
- Leila Siciliano: Caenolestes caniventer, gray-bellied shrew opossum. in the Animal Diversity Net. Retrieved December 29, 2013.