Ecuador possum mouse
| Ecuador possum mouse | ||||||||||||
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Ecuador Opossum Mouse ( Caenolestes fuliginosus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Caenolestes fuliginosus | ||||||||||||
| ( Tomes , 1863) |
The Ecuador Opossummaus ( Caenolestes fuliginosus ) is a type of authentics Opossummäuse within the shrew opossum (Caenolestidae). She lives in the northern Andes in parts of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.
features
The Ecuador possum mouse reaches an overall length of 229 to 237 millimeters and a tail length of 107 to 113 millimeters. The rear foot length is comparatively short at 20 to 21 millimeters and the weight is 34 to 39 grams. Like the other species of Mausopossums, it is similar in appearance to the shrews and has a long, drawn out snout. Compared to the other species of the genus, the body is delicately built and the species is somewhat smaller with a smaller skull. The fur is shiny and silky, it is dark gray in color and has lighter hair tips and the belly is also dark gray. The long tail is dark brown and can sometimes be used as a grasping tail and support the animal while climbing. 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 upper arm bones are very strong, the thigh bones, however, comparatively narrow.
| 4th | · | 1 | · | 3 | · | 4th | = 42 |
| 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 Ecuador possum mouse occurs in the South American Andes in north and west Colombia , in Ecuador and in the far west of Venezuela . The altitude distribution of the species ranges in Colombia from 2000 to 3000 meters and in Ecuador from 1600 to 4000 meters. The majority of the captured individuals, however, come from heights of less than 2400 meters.
Way of life
Little is known about the way of life of the Ecuadorian opossum mouse, although it is the most common and widespread species of its genus. It lives, among other things, in the typical Páramo areas of the Andes, as well as in cloud and highland forests, where it needs a dense undergrowth. The habitat consists mainly of the undergrowth with cool and humid microclimate in areas with regular rainfall. In Ecuador the species is probably absent in the higher elevations of the Andes, as it is in direct competition with the shrew species Cryptotis montivaga .
The animals of the genus are solitary and especially active in the early evening and at night, moving on regularly used paths through the dense undergrowth. 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 Ecuadorian 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. Three embryos were found in a captured female , two of which developed in the right uterus and one in the left. In several captured females, lactation (milk delivery) was found in August.
Systematics
The Ecuador opossum mouse is classified as an independent species within the genus of the 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 Ecuador opossum mouse comes from Robert Fisher Tomes in 1863 using an individual from Ecuador.
There are three subspecies within the species:
- Caenolestes fuliginosus fuliginosus
- Caenolestes fuliginosus centralis
- Caenolestes fuliginosus obscurus
Existence, endangerment and protection
The Ecuador possum mouse is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as least concern due to its comparatively large distribution area and the assumed large populations . The causes of a potential threat to the population are not known, however, regionally the habitat of the species is used intensively for livestock.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Leila Siciliano: Caenolestes fuliginosus, silky shrew opossum. in the Animal Diversity Net. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
- ↑ a b c d Caenolestes fuliginosus in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2013.2. Posted by: B. Patterson, M. Gomez-Laverde, C. Delgado, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
- ^ AP Barnett: Records of the gray-bellied shrew opossum, Caenolestes caniventer, and Tate's shrew opossum, Caenolestes tatei (Caenolestidae, Marsupialia) from Ecuadorian montane forests. Mammalia 55, 1991: pp. 443-445. ( Full text )
- ^ 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 fuliginosus ( Memento of the original dated December 31, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been 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 fuliginosus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: B. Patterson, M. Gomez-Laverde, C. Delgado, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
- Leila Siciliano: Caenolestes fuliginosus, silky shrew opossum. in the Animal Diversity Net. Retrieved December 29, 2013.