Miniature bush rats
| Miniature bush rats | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Nelsonia | ||||||||||||
| Merriam , 1897 |
The small bush rats ( Nelsonia ) are a genus of rodents from the group of New World mice that lives in Central America . It is of two types.
Small bush rats reach a head body length of 12 to 13 centimeters, to which a 11 to 13 centimeter long tail comes. Their soft fur is gray-brown on the back, the flanks are light red and the belly and feet are whitish. The long tail is hairy.
These rodents are endemic to Mexico , where they inhabit central parts of the country. Their habitat are coniferous forests , where they occur up to 3000 meters above sea level. They are mostly nocturnal, during the day they retreat to crevices and other shelters. Their food should mainly consist of tree needles.
Both species are not considered common, but are listed as not endangered by the IUCN .
There are two types:
- Nelsonia goldmani is common from Colima and Jalisco to the state of México .
- Nelsonia neotomodon inhabits the Sierra Madre Occidental from Durango to Aguascalientes .
The miniature bush rats are systematically considered to be primitive representatives of the Neotomini, a genus group that includes the American bush rats ( Neotoma ).
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
- Endangerment level of the two species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .