Giant climbing mouse

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Giant climbing mouse
Systematics
Subordination : Mouse relatives (Myomorpha)
Superfamily : Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family : Nesomyidae
Subfamily : Tree mice (Dendromurinae)
Genre : Megadendromus
Type : Giant climbing mouse
Scientific name of the  genus
Megadendromus
Dieterlen & Rupp , 1978
Scientific name of the  species
Megadendromus nikolausi
Dieterlen & Rupp, 1978

The giant climbing mouse ( Megadendromus nikolausi ) is a rare rodent belonging to the tree mouse subfamily . It is assigned to the genus Megadendromus as the only species and is known only from a few specimens from the Ethiopian highlands. However, new analyzes show that it must be placed in the genus of the African climbing mice ( Dendromus ).

description

With a head-to-trunk length of 97.6 to 129 mm, a tail length of 86.4 to 106 mm and a weight of 40 to 66 g, the giant climbing mouse is, despite its name, not larger, but significantly heavier than other tree mice. On the top, the fur is brown in color and there is a black eel line . The line continues on the otherwise light gray tail. The underside is light brown to gray-brown. There are reddish shades on the cheeks and shoulders. Dark areas around the eyes are reminiscent of glasses.

distribution

Only a few specimens have been caught so far. In addition, remains of the giant climbing mouse from the dungeons of owls suggest their range. The species lives in the highlands of Ethiopia in bushes at around 3300 meters above sea level. The locality from which the type specimen comes is in the Bale Mountains National Park south of the city of Goba . Another site that is not under nature conservation is on Mount Badda .

The giant climbing mouse is nocturnal and probably climbs less in the bushes than its close relatives. Due to the low level of knowledge, the species is listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) with “too little data” ( Data Deficient ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Leonid A Lavrenchenko, RS Nadjafova, Afework Bekele, Tatiana Mironova and Josef Bryja. 2016. Phylogenetic Position of A Monotypic Ethiopian Endemic Rodent genus Megadendromus (Rodentia, Nesomyidae). Mammalia. DOI: 10.1515 / mammalia-2015-0148
  2. ↑ a b Megadendromus nikolausi in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.2. Posted by: Lavrenchenko, L. & Dieterlen, F., 2008. Retrieved September 27, 2014.

literature

  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Volume 2. 6th edition. 1999, p. 1488. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9

Web links