Long-nosed Luzon wood mouse

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Long-nosed Luzon wood mouse
Systematics
Superfamily : Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family : Long-tailed mice (Muridae)
Subfamily : Old World Mice (Murinae)
Tribe : Phloeomyini
Genre : Philippines wood mice ( Apomys )
Type : Long-nosed Luzon wood mouse
Scientific name
Apomys sacobianus
Johnson , 1962

The long-nosed Luzon wood mouse ( Apomys sacobianus ) is a species of rodent from the genus Apomys in the family of long-tailed mice (Muridae). It is endemic to Pinatubo on Luzon and was thought to be lost between 1956 and 1991. The species epithet refers to the Sacobia River near Clark Air Base at Pinatubo, where the species was discovered in August 1956 by zoologist David H. Johnson of the United States National Museum .

features

The long-nosed Luzon wood mouse is a large species of mouse with large ears and eyes. It reaches a total length of 277 to 315 mm, a tail length of 132 to 153 mm, the hind foot length 35 to 40 mm, the ear length 21 to 25 mm and a weight of 79 to 105 g. The fur is greyish-brown on the top and greyish-white on the underside. The unusually thick tail is two-tone, dark on top and almost white on the underside. The tail length is 95 to 100 percent of the head-trunk length .

distribution

The long-nosed Luzon wood mouse is currently only known from the Pinatubo at the foothills of the Zambales Mountains . However, the species may be more widespread in the lowlands of the Zambales Mountains.

Habitat and way of life

The long-nosed Luzon wood mouse has been documented from altitudes between 365 and 1080 m. The species may also be found at higher altitudes. Apomys sacobianus is very tolerant of disturbances. In fact, the species seems to specialize in the habitat type on the Pinatubo, where the vegetation regenerates only sparsely. In the 2011 and 2012 study period, the long-nosed Luzon wood mouse was the most common rodent on the Pinatubo. Other rodents observed in this study were Apomys zambalensis , Bullimus luzonicus , Chrotomys mindorensis , Rattus everetti , Rattus exulans and Rattus tanezumi . The long-nosed Luzon wood mouse is nocturnal and searches for food on the ground. She is an omnivore. Earthworms are just as much a part of the food as the baked coconut pieces that the researchers laid out as bait.

Systematics

The closest relative of Apomys sacobianus is Apomys lubangensis . Both species split off from a common ancestor about 500,000 years ago. Other relatives of this sister group are Apomys brownorum and Apomys banahao , which split off about 700,000 years ago.

status

The long-nosed Luzon wood mouse is listed by the IUCN in the " data deficient " category. In August 1956, the zoologist David H. Johnson collected the holotype . Thereafter, this species was considered lost until it was rediscovered after the eruption of Pinatubo in June 1991. Additional specimens were collected by Lawrence R. Heaney and Danilo S. Balete in 2011 and 2012 . The greatest threat is loss of habitat due to the Pinatubo eruptions.

literature

  • DH Johnson: Two new murine rodents. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 75, 1962: 317-319.
  • Lawrence R. Heaney, Danilo S. Balete, Maria Josefa Veluz, Scott J. Steppan, Jacob A. Esselstyn, Andrew W. Pfeiffer, and Eric A. Rickart: Two new species of Philippine forest mice (Apomys, Muridae, Rodentia) from Lubang and Luzon Islands, with a redescription of Apomys sacobianus Johnson, 1962 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 126 (4): 395-413. 2014
  • Lawrence R. Heaney, Danilo S. Balete, Eric A. Rickart: The Mammals of Luzon Island: Biogeography and Natural History of a Philippine Fauna . Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016, pp. 149-150 ISBN 978-1421418377

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Lawrence R. Heaney, Danilo S. Balete, Maria Josefa Veluz, Scott J. Steppan, Jacob A. Esselstyn, Andrew W. Pfeiffer, and Eric A. Rickart: Two new species of Philippine forest mice (Apomys, Muridae , Rodentia) from Lubang and Luzon Islands, with a redescription of Apomys sacobianus Johnson, 1962 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 126 (4): 395-413. 2014