Temminck harvest mouse

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Temminck harvest mouse
Mus musculoides millet fressend.jpg

Temminck harvest mouse ( Mus musculoides )

Systematics
Superfamily : Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family : Long-tailed mice (Muridae)
Subfamily : Old World Mice (Murinae)
Tribe : Murini
Genre : Mice ( Mus )
Type : Temminck harvest mouse
Scientific name
Mus musculoides
Temminck , 1853

The Temminck harvest mouse or West African harvest mouse ( Mus musculoides ) is a small species of long-tailed mouse ( Muridae ) that belongs to the Old World mice (Murinae ). The species lives in Africa and occurs in a narrow belt south of the Sahara from Gambia to Ethiopia .

features

The Temminck dwarf mamus compared to the size of a 2 euro coin

The Temminck harvest mouse reaches a head-trunk length of 5.8 to 7.5 centimeters with a tail length of 4.7 to 5.3 centimeters; the weight is about 6 to 9 grams. The rear foot length is 12 to 14 millimeters, the ear length 7 to 10 millimeters. This makes it a very small species of rodent, and compared to other mice it has a relatively short tail. The coat is short and shiny. The back color is golden brown, the belly and throat are white. The tail reaches a length of about 70% of the length of the head and trunk, it is pale brown on top and a little lighter on the underside. The ears are small, there are white postauricular spots behind the ears. The females have four pairs of teats .

The karyotype consists of a double set of chromosomes with 2n = 18 to 19 (FN = 36). A chromosomal translocation between the X chromosome and chromosome 7 is noticeable .

distribution

The species lives in Africa and occurs in a narrow belt south of the Sahara from Gambia in West Africa to the west of Ethiopia in East Africa. On the basis of genetic investigations, it is assumed that the distribution area is significantly smaller than originally assumed compared to earlier descriptions. According to older literature, the distribution limit in East Africa is considered unclear, and populations south of the currently considered distribution area as far as South Africa are also assumed.

Way of life

The Temminck harvest mouse lives in dry savannah grassland and in forest areas in the savanna belt south of the Sahara. It uses drier areas than the closely related African harvest mouse ( Mus minutoides ), with which it occurs sympathetically in parts of West Africa . The animals are nocturnal and live mainly on the ground. They feed mainly on the seeds of the grasses and probably also on other vegetable foods and occasionally on insects.

The animals build round or cup-like nests out of grass under suitable tree trunks or in other hollows. No data are available on reproduction and development; Data published earlier relate to populations outside of the recognized distribution area, e.g. from Nigeria, and are therefore to be assigned to other species.

As with other nocturnal small mammals, the predators of the Temminck harvest mouse include owls such as the barn owl ( Asio otus ) or the spotted uhu ( Bubo africanus ).

Systematics

The Temminck harvest mouse is classified as an independent species within the genus of mice ( Mus ). The first scientific description of the species comes from the naturalist Coenraad Jacob Temminck from 1853, who described it from the historical region of Côte de Guinée . Since the first description, numerous other species that are now regarded as synonyms have been described: Mus bella (or Mus bellus ), Mus enclavae , Mus gallarum , Mus gondokorae , Mus grata , Mus marica , Mus paulina , Mus petila , Mus soricoides , Mus sungarae , Mus sybilla , Mus vicini and Mus petila .

The relationship to the African harvest mouse ( Mus minutoides ) is partly unclear and is often presented differently. In 1975 the mammaloge Francis Petter assigned all mice south of the Sahara to the African harvest mouse as a subspecies and justified this with the lack of distinctness and the great variation within the species. Other reviewers consider it a synonym for the African harvest mouse and a third group regards it as an independent species. The independent species is supported by karyological and molecular biological studies and corresponds to the current state of discussion. According to Wilson & Reeder 2005, the Temminck harvest mouse, together with the African harvest mouse and other species within the mice of the subgenus Nannomys, are assigned as Mus (Nannomys) musculoides , and on the basis of the cytochrome b sequences it is also closely related to the Filed African harvest mouse ( Mus minutoides ).

Apart from the nominate form, no subspecies are distinguished within the species .

Status, threat and protection

The Temminck harvest mouse is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as not endangered (“least concern”). This classification is justified with the large distribution area, the frequent occurrence and the adaptability of the species to habitat changes.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k West African Pygmy Mouse. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editors): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Rodents 2. (HMW, Volume 7) Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2017, p. 791. ISBN 978 -84-16728-04-6 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f D.CD Happold: Mus musculoides West African Pygmy Mouse In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 486-487; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e Mus (Nannomys) musculoides . In: 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 .
  4. ↑ Eliurus antsingy in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2016. Posted by: R. Kennerley, 2016. Retrieved on 20 May 2020th

literature

  • West African Pygmy Mouse. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editors): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Rodents 2. (HMW, Volume 7) Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2017, p. 791. ISBN 978 -84-16728-04-6 .
  • DCD Happold: Mus musculoides West African Pygmy Mouse In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 486-487; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .

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