Hotson mouse hamster
| Hotson mouse hamster | ||||||||||||
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| Calomyscus hotsoni | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1920 |
The Hotson mouse hamster ( Calomyscus hotsoni ) is a rodent species from the genus and family of the mouse hamsters ( Calomyscus , Calomyscidae). It occurs in eastern Iran in the province of Sistan and Balochistan and in southwestern Pakistan in Balochistan and in the west from Sindh to the Kirthar Mountains in the east.
features
The Hotson mouse hamster reaches a head-trunk length of 67 to 85 mm, has a tail 73 to 90 mm long and weighs 14 to 25 g. The rear foot length is 16 to 20 mm, the ears are 12 to 20 cm long. This makes the species one of the smaller mouse hamster species. The skull is 22.7 to 25.7 mm long ( condylobasal length ) and 10.7 to 12.2 mm wide ( zygomatic arch width ). Because the hair has black tips, the fur on the back is darker than that of most other mouse hamster species.
Habitat and way of life
In southeastern Iran the Hotson mouse hamster inhabits rocky slopes that are overgrown with figs , Atlantic pistachios , seaweed and wild oats , in Pakistan these are rocky regions with stocks of the Mazari palm and bushy rocky mountainsides and mountains up to heights of 1890 meters. In the earthworks of the mouse hamster, seeds of figs and pistachios were found, which are probably an important food resource for the animals. Nothing is known about the activity patterns of the Hotson mouse hamster, and little is known about the reproductive biology of the animals. Young animals were caught in May, females with milk-secreting teats in June. Specimens kept in human care were found to be very social animals that showed no aggression towards one another. In the wild, the animals also use the earth burrows of the Persian racing rat ( Meriones persicus ).
Systematics
The Hotson mouse hamster was scientifically described for the first time in 1920 by the English zoologist Oldfield Thomas , mainly because of its small size as an independent species. In various revisions of the mouse hamster genus, the Hotson mouse hamster was later assigned to the Zagros mouse hamster ( Calomyscus bailwardi ) as a subspecies . In another revision of the genus, the Hotson mouse hamster became an independent species again in 1979, which was confirmed in 2008 on the basis of morphological and genetic comparisons. The Hotson mouse hamster is the sister species of the Zagros mouse hamster or the Baluchistan mouse hamster ( Calomyscus baluchi ) and the three species form a southern clade within the genus Calomyscus .
status
According to the IUCN , the population of the Hotson mouse hamster is not considered endangered ( least concern ). The animals are found in two Pakistani protected areas, in the Hingol National Park and in the Kirthar National Park .
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d C. William Kilpatrick : Family Calomyscidae (Brush-tailed Mice) In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 7: Rodents II. , Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, 2017. ISBN 978-84-16728-04-6 , p. 159
- ↑ Calomyscus hotsoni in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: Jordan, M., Molur, S. & Nameer, PO, 2016. Accessed May 31, 2020th