Furrow-tooth wood mouse

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Furrow-tooth wood mouse
Systematics
Subordination : Mouse relatives (Myomorpha)
Superfamily : Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family : Long-tailed mice (Muridae)
Subfamily : Leimacomyinae
Genre : Glue macomys
Type : Furrow-tooth wood mouse
Scientific name of the  subfamily
Leimacomyinae
Musser & Carleton , 2005
Scientific name of the  genus
Glue macomys
Matschie , 1893
Scientific name of the  species
Leimacomys buettneri
Matschie , 1893

The furrow- tooth wood mouse ( Leimacomys buettneri ) is a rodent from the family of long-tailed mice (Muridae). It is remarkable for its controversial systematic position, but only known from two specimens found in 1890 and possibly already extinct.

features

The specimens found had a head body length of 11.8 centimeters and a 3.7 centimeter long tail. Their fur was colored dark brown on the upper side, the shoulder regions were light brown and the underside grayish. The feet and ears were covered with hair, but the strikingly short tail was hairless. The toes, especially on the hind legs, ended in long, sharp claws.

The incisors were slightly grooved, and there were three molars per half of the jaw, so the animal had a total of 16 teeth. The dentition indicates an insectivorous diet.

Find and research history

The two specimens were found in 1890 in a wooded area in the central part of Togo (then a German colony) and are now kept in the Berlin Museum of Natural History .

Its systematic position is unclear: after its first description, the species was often pushed back and forth between different taxa. Mostly it was assigned to the tree mice (Dendromurinae), sometimes also to the Old World mice (Murinae) or as a relative of the mane rats (Lophiomyinae), whereby the similarities with these should only be based on convergence. The structure of the teeth again shows similarities with that of the gerbils (Gerbillinae).

In Mammal Species of the World (2005) it is finally classified in its own subfamily, Leimacomyinae, whereby the provisional nature of this classification is emphasized. More precise information on the system can only be provided by genetic tests.

Danger

No specimen of this species has been seen since 1890. Various sources believe they are already extinct; other theories suggest that there has never been extensive research and that the furrow-tooth wood mouse could still live in small areas in Togo or Ghana . The IUCN lists them under “too little data available” ( data deficient ).

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 .

Web links