Vesper mice
| Vesper mice | ||||||||||||
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Calomys laucha |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Calomys | ||||||||||||
| Waterhouse , 1837 |
The vesper mice ( Calomys ) are a species of rodent living in South America from the group of the New World mice . They include 12 types.
They are very common animals of the typical mouse shape. The length of the head body is 6 to 12 centimeters, depending on the species, plus 3 to 9 centimeters of tail. The ears are noticeably enlarged, the legs are slender, and the tail has only a few hairs.
The habitats in which vesper mice occur are grassland, scrubland and forest edges. They are absent in the tropical rainforest. At night they become active and then roam the pampas in large numbers . Some species also invade barns, stables, and basements. They are omnivores that mainly eat plant material, but also insects.
The number of species is controversial. Wilson & Reeder (2005) list the following twelve types:
- Calomys boliviae lives in western Bolivia and northern Argentina.
- Calomys callidus is native to Argentina and Paraguay.
- Calomys callosus is found in eastern Bolivia, central and southern Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina.
- Coastal vesper mouse ( Calomys chinchilico ) from the southwest of Peru was first described in 2014.
- Calomys expulsus lives in central Brazil.
- Calomys hummelincki lives in Colombia, Venezuela and the Netherlands Antilles.
- Little Vesper mouse ( Calomys laucha ) is common from southern Bolivia and Brazil to Argentina.
- Calomys lepidus occurs from Peru to northern Chile and northern Argentina.
- Calomys musculinus is distributed from Bolivia to southern Argentina.
- Calomys sorellus only inhabits the Peruvian Andes.
- Calomys tener is known from eastern Bolivia, south-eastern Brazil and northern Argentina. The exact distribution area is unclear.
- Calomys tocantinsi lives in central Brazil.
- Calomys venustus lives in western Argentina.
According to the IUCN , none of the species is threatened.
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 .
- 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 .
Web links
- Endangerment level of the individual species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .