Furrow-tooth wood mouse
Furrow-tooth wood mouse | ||||||||||||
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Systematics | ||||||||||||
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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
- Leimacomys buettneri in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: E. Van der Straeten & D. Schlitter, 2004. Retrieved on 21 8th of 2007.