Luzon strip rats
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Luzon striped rat ( Chrotomys whiteheadi ), illustration after Joseph Smit |
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| Thomas , 1895 |
The Luzon striped rats ( Chrotomys ) are a genus of rodents from the group of old world mice (Murinae). The genus includes five species endemic to the Philippines .
General
Luzon strip rats reach a head body length of 15 to 20 centimeters, in addition there is a 9 to 12 centimeter long tail. The weight is 115 to 190 grams. They are named after two black stripes on the otherwise gray or brown top. The tail is relatively short, the eyes small, the ears medium-sized.
These rodents live on the island of Luzon and offshore islands such as Mindoro and Sibuyan . Their habitat is tropical rainforest , the animals can be found up to an altitude of 2600 meters. Little is known about their way of life. They feed on sweet potatoes, grasses and also small animals such as earthworms .
Systematics
Within the old world mice, the Luzon striped rats are the namesake of the Chrotomys genus group, a group that only lives in the Philippines, which also includes the nasal rats ( Rhynchomys ) and the genera Apomys and Archboldomys .
According to genetic studies by Lecompte et al. (2008) the animals of the Chrotomys group are not closely related to other Filipino Old World mice, but part of a radiation of Old World mice, the remaining representatives of which live in New Guinea and Australia . This radiation, sometimes referred to as hydromyini, also includes the Hydromys group , the Lorentzimys group , the Pogonomys group , the Pseudomys group , the Uromys group and the Xeromys group . With the actual rats ( Rattus ), however, there is only a very distant relationship.
There are five types:
- The Luzon striped rat ( Chrotomys whiteheadi ) inhabits mountains in northern Luzon.
- The Luzon lowland strip rat ( Chrotomys mindorensis ) lives in rather lower areas on Luzon and Mindoro.
- The Isarog striped rat ( Chrotomys gonzalesi ) occurs only in the area of the Isarog mountain in southeast Luzon.
- The Sibuyan striped rat ( Chrotomys sibuyanensis ) was first discovered by Rickart et al. is only known from one specimen found on the island of Sibuyan.
- The Luzon shrew rat ( Chrotomys silaceus ) is native to mountainous regions in northern Luzon. It is sometimes listed in its own genus, celaenomys .
The IUCN lists the Isarog strip rat and the Luzon flatland strip rat as " near threatened ", for the Sibuyan strip rats "too little data is available" ( data deficient ). The other two species are considered "not endangered" ( least concern ).
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 .
- Eric A. Rickart, Lawrence R. Heaney, Steven M. Goodman , Sharon Jansa: Review of the Philippine genera Chrotomys and Celaenomys (Murinae) and description of a new species. In: Journal of Mammalogy . Vol. 86, No. 2, 2005, ISSN 0022-2372 , pp. 415-428.
- 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 .
- Emilie Lecompte, Ken Aplin, Christiane Denys, François Catzeflis, Marion Chades, Pascale Chevret: Phylogeny and biogeography of African Murinae based on mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences, with a new tribal classification of the subfamily. In: BMC Evolutionary Biology. Vol. 8, 199, 2008, pp. 1-21, doi : 10.1186 / 1471-2148-8-199 .
