Johnson mouse
| Johnson mouse | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pseudomys johnsoni | ||||||||||||
| Kitchener , 1985 |
The Johnson mouse ( Pseudomys johnsoni ) is a rodent belonging to the genus Australian mice . This species was discovered in 1983 and scientifically described in 1985.
features
The Johnson mouse reaches a head-torso length of 61 to 64 mm, a tail length of 76 to 95 mm, a hind foot length of 17 to 18.5 mm, an ear length of 12 to 13 mm and a weight of 9 to 17 g . The females have four belly teats. The top is light yellow-brown to reddish-brown with black protective hair. The underside is white. The tail is brown on the top and white on the underside.
Occurrence
The Johnson mouse is found in the Davenport and Murchison Ranges southeast of Tennant Creek and in the Mittiebah Range near Alexandria Station in the Barkly Tableland in the Northern Territory . Other occurrences are known from the area around the city of Mount Isa in Queensland and from the Kimberley region in Western Australia .
habitat
The Johnson mouse inhabits a wide variety of habitats including open woodlands, wooded valleys, dense bushy undergrowth, and spinifex grasslands dominated by species such as Plectrachne pungens and Triodia longiceps . This species prefers mountain ridges covered with pebbles, as well as plains with pebble hills and grasslands.
Way of life
The Johnson Mouse lives in a complex building system with a mound of pebbles next to the entrance, which is later locked. Suckling females have been observed between August and September.
status
In the past, this species was considered rare. However, studies of the mouse populations from Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia showed that the Johnson mouse is more common than initially thought. Although the range is fragmented, this species is widespread and the population is stable. Therefore it is classified by the IUCN in the category “not at risk” ( least concern ).
Systematics
The taxon Pseudomys laborifex described by Darrell John Kitchener and William F. Humphreys in 1986 , which was listed as a valid species in the standard work Mammal Species of the World in 2005 , has been conspecific with Pseudomys johnsoni since 2007 .
literature
- Peter Menkhorst: A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Illustrated by Frank Knight. Oxford University Press, South Melbourne et al. 2001, ISBN 0-19-550870-X .