Stuart broad-footed pouch mouse
| Stuart broad-footed pouch mouse | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stuart broad-foot bag mouse ( Antechinus stuartii ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Antechinus stuartii | ||||||||||||
| Macleay , 1841 |
The Stuart broad-foot bag mouse ( Antechinus stuartii ) is a species of bag mammal from the genus of broad-foot bag mice ( Antechinus ).
features
The fur of this pouch mouse is colored gray-brown on the upper side, the underside is lighter. These animals reach a length of 14 to 25 centimeters, males are 35 grams heavier than females, which reach 20 grams.
distribution and habitat
Stuart broad-footed pouches live in eastern Australia, namely in southeastern Queensland and in New South Wales . Their habitat is primarily forests.
Way of life
These pouch mice are nocturnal and mainly live on the ground, but they can also climb well. They build nests that are used alone in the warmer months and shared with other bag mice in the cooler times. They feed primarily on insects and other invertebrates, but also hunt smaller vertebrates .
Reproduction
The mating behavior of Stuart broad-footed pouch mice has some peculiarities. Although they are very small mammals, there is only one reproductive phase per year. This takes place synchronously for all animals within two weeks in August (Australian winter). At the beginning of this time, the male broad-footed pouch mice gather in nests. These nests are then sought out by the females who mate with several males. Since the females can store spermatozoa in the fallopian tube , a single litter can come from several fathers. All males die immediately after the mating season, so that the following spring populations consist exclusively of pregnant females. After a 28-day gestation, all females give birth to their young synchronously. These are then worn in the belly fold, a rudiment of the bag, for another five to seven weeks. After this time, the young are weaned in the nest, but are still suckled. After a further eight to ten weeks, the male offspring are driven from the nest. Only 15% of the dams survive until a second litter, which is then smaller than the first.
The general, synchronous death of the males is triggered by stress directly before and during mating. In response to the ongoing stress, corticosteroid levels rise . This is usually regulated by corticosteroid binding globulins . During the mating season, however, the androgen level is also increased and the level of corticoid-binding globulins is reduced, which leads to an increase in biologically active, free corticoids (stress hormones). These in turn have an immunosuppressive effect. The absence of anti-inflammatory reactions and a reduced formation of antibodies lead to a breakdown of the immune system and consequently to death from pathogens .
threat
The Stuart broad-footed pouch mouse is listed by the IUCN as non- endangered (least concern) .
Name and system
The Stuart broad-foot bag mouse was described in 1841 as the third of all broad-foot bag mice. William Sharp Macleay named this species in honor of the animal painter James Stuart , who discovered this broad-footed pouch-mouse in South Cove in 1837 while he was in charge of a quarantine station as a surgeon.
The species Antechinus agilis , Antechinus subtropicus and Antechinus adustus were previously combined with this pouch mouse, but are now considered to be independent.
swell
- Groves, Colin (November 16, 2005). in Wilson, DE, and Reeder, DM (eds): Mammal Species of the World. 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 30. ISBN 0-801-88221-4 .
- Australasian Marsupial & Monotreme Specialist Group (1996): Antechinus stuartii . 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved December 9, 2006.
- Menkhorst, Peter (2001): A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia . Oxford University Press, 56. ISBN 0-19-550870-X .
- RW Braithwaite: Brown Antechinus. In: Strahan, Ronald: The Mammals of Australia: Reed Books, 1995, ISBN 0-7301-0484-2 , pp. 94-97.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lorch, D. 2004 Sex-specific Variation in Infestation and Diversity of Ectoparasites on the Brown Antechinus, Antechinus stuartii. Diploma thesis, Australian National University Canberra & Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Web links
- Information on the Animal Diversity Web
- Antechinus stuartii inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.1. Listed by: Burnett, S. & Dickman, C., 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2013.