Climbing mice
| Climbing mice | ||||||||||||
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Rhipodmys albujai |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Rhipidomys | ||||||||||||
| Tschudi , 1845 |
The climbing mice ( Rhipidomys ) are a species of rodent living in South America from the group of New World mice . They include 18 types.
features
Climbing mice are mouse-like animals. They reach a head body length of 8 to 21 centimeters, the tail is longer than the body and can be up to 27 centimeters long. Their fur is colored on the upper side in different shades of gray or brown, the underside is white or light gray. The line between the dark top and light bottom is sharp. The feet are wide and with the long claws adapted to a climbing way of life. The tail is hairy and ends in a small tassel.
Distribution and way of life
Climbing mice are native to South America; their range extends from eastern Panama to Bolivia and northern Argentina . They inhabit forests and other tree-covered areas.
These rodents are nocturnal. They are mostly tree dwellers, some species also live on the ground and can invade houses. During the day they retreat to grass nests.
The IUCN does not list any of the species listed here as threatened, but this is also likely due to a lack of knowledge.
Systematics
There are 18 types:
- Rhipodmys albujai is found in Ecuador
- Rhipidomys austrinus is distributed from Bolivia to northern Argentina.
- Rhipidomys caucensis lives in western Colombia.
- Rhipidomys couesi inhabits Colombia, Venezuela and the island of Trinidad.
- Rhipidomys emiliae is native to central and eastern Brazil.
- Rhipidomys fulviventer lives in isolated areas in Colombia and Venezuela.
- Rhipidomys gardneri lives in eastern Peru and western Brazil.
- Rhipidomys latimanus is distributed from eastern Panama to Peru. The population from Panama was previously listed as R. scandens as a separate species.
- Rhipidomys leucodactylus occurs in large parts of northern South America.
- Rhipidomys macconnelli lives in Venezuela, Guyana and northern Brazil.
- Rhipidomys macrurus lives in central Brazil.
- Rhipidomys mastacalis is native to eastern Brazil.
- Rhipidomys modicus lives in central Peru.
- Rhipidomys nitela lives in Venezuela, the three Guyana states and northern Brazil.
- Rhipidomys ochrogaster is only known from southeastern Peru.
- Rhipidomys venezuelae lives in Colombia, Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago.
- Rhipidomys venustus occurs sporadically in western and northern Venezuela.
- Rhipidomys wetzeli inhabits southern Venezuela and northern Brazil.
Together with the Paramo mice ( Thomasomys ) and some other genera, they form the tribe of the Thomasomyini within the Sigmodontinae .
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 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Brito JM, Tinoco N, Chavez D, Moreno-Cardenas P, Batallas D & Ojala-Barbour R: New species of arboreal rat of the genus Rhipidomys (Cricetidae, Sigmodontinae) from Sangay National Park, Ecuador. in Neotropical Biodiversity, vol. 3, nº 1, 2017, pp. 65-79.
Web links
- Endangerment level of the individual species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .