| Cerrado mouse | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Sigmodontinae |
| Genus: | Thalpomys |
| Species: | T. cerradensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Thalpomys cerradensis Hershkovitz, 1990 | |
The cerrado mouse (Thalpomys cerradensis) is a rodent species from South America. It is found in the cerrado of Brazil.
The cerrado mouse has a head-and-body length of more than 90 mm (3.5 in) and is larger than the only other species in the genus, the hairy-eared cerrado mouse (Thalpomys lasiotis). The fur is dense and rather stiff. The general colouring resembles some members of the Oligoryzomys genus. The dorsal pelage is reddish-brown, the individual hairs having blackish bases, orange central sections and blackish tips. There are also longer black guard hairs. The flanks and underparts are paler. The chin is buff and the eye-ring and cheeks orangish. The upper surfaces of the hindfeet are buff; they are small, with short outer toes and tiny claws. The tail, which is well-haired, is brown above and buff below. The diploid number is 36. [2]
This mouse is restricted to the cerrado ecoregion in Brazil, occurring in the states of Bahia, Goiás and Mato Grosso. It inhabits open grassland, savannah with occasional trees and wetter grassland areas with palms. It readily recolonises areas affected by wildfires, and is at its most numerous less than two years later. [2]
The cerrado mouse is most active soon after dusk and in the hours before dawn. In the state of Bahia, it is hardly ever caught in the live traps used by researchers for surveying small mammals, but its presence in the area is confirmed by its abundance in barn owl pellets (the undigested parts of their prey that the owls regurgitate). [2]
This mouse has a wide range but a rather patchy distribution. [1] The cerrado grassland in which it lives is increasingly being threatened by the expansion of industrial-scale farming, the burning of vegetation for charcoal and the development of dams to provide irrigation. [3] Although the population of the mouse may be in general decline, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of least concern because it believes the rate of population decline is not fast enough to justify placing it in a more threatened category. [1]
The white-tailed rat also known as the white-tailed mouse, is the only member of the subfamily Mystromyinae in the family Nesomyidae. This species is sometimes placed in the subfamily Cricetinae due to similarities in appearance between the white-tailed rat and hamsters, but molecular phylogenetic studies have confirmed that the two groups are not closely related. The subfamily Mystromyinae is sometimes placed within the family Muridae along with all other subfamilies of muroids.
Oligoryzomys flavescens, also known as the flavescent colilargo or yellow pygmy rice rat is a species of rodent in the genus Oligoryzomys of family Cricetidae. It is found in southern South America, occurring in southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina. Its karyotype has 2n = 64-66 and FNa = 66–70.
Neacomys minutus, also known as the minute neacomys, the small bristly mouse, or the minute spiny mouse, is a rodent species from South America in the genus Neacomys. It is found in Brazil.
The white-footed climbing mouse is a species of South American rodent found in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. It is the type species of the genus and the type location was the lower eastern slopes of the Andes in central Peru.
The hairy-eared cerrado mouse or hairy-eared akodont, is a rodent species from South America. It is found in the cerrado grassland of Brazil.
The Brazilian arboreal mouse is a South American rodent species of the family Cricetidae. It is found in the Atlantic Forest of southeast Brazil, often close to bamboo thickets. It can be distinguished from Rhagomys longilingua, the only other species in its genus, by the absence of spines among the hair. Formerly believed to be extinct after no sightings were recorded for over 100 years, the species has since been found in four localities. However, it is nowhere common, and all of these are forest fragments, and ongoing deforestation threatens the species' survival. For these reasons, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being "vulnerable".
The heath mouse is a species of mouse in the subfamily Murinae, the Old World rats and mice, found in Australia.
The pleasant bolo mouse, or pleasant akodont, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found on grassland at high altitudes in Bolivia and Peru.
The rufous-bellied bolo mouse or white-chinned akodont, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Argentina and Bolivia where it inhabits the dry valleys of the eastern Andes. Its conservation status is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being of "least concern".
The dark bolo mouse or dark-furred akodont is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. There are two subspecies; one is found in eastern and central parts of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, and the other in coastal areas of southern Uruguay.
Mittendorf's lemniscomys or Mittendorf's striped grass mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Cameroon where it is found at high elevations on a single mountain. Its natural habitat is tropical high-altitude grassland. It faces no particular threats and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed it as being of "least concern".
Oligoryzomys destructor, also known as Tschudi's colilargo or the destructive pygmy rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Oligoryzomys of family Cricetidae. It is found along the eastern Andes from southern Colombia, through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia into northern Argentina. Its karyotype has 2n = 60 and FNa = 76.
Oligoryzomys magellanicus, also known as the Patagonian colilargo and the Magellanic pygmy rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Oligoryzomys of the family Cricetidae. It is found in the southernmost parts of Argentina and Chile, including Tierra del Fuego and other outlying islands. Its karyotype has 2n = 54 and FNa = 66.
The Ethiopian white-footed mouse or white-footed stenocephalemys is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It lives in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Its natural habitats are tropical moist montane forest and tropical high-altitude shrubland.
The Idaho pocket gopher is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is rather small, with a lightly built skull. Its fur color varies through the body and between individuals. Found in the western United States, it inhabits savannas, shrubland, and grasslands. Individuals live alone in burrows, staying active year-round. Many aspects of its behavior and biology are not well understood. The species is classified as being of least-concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
The Huanchaca mouse or Huanchaca akodont is a rodent species in the family Cricetidae. It is known from savannas in an area at an elevation of 700 metres (2,300 ft) in Serrania Huanchaca, Noel Kempff Mercado National Park in eastern Bolivia.
The cerrado climbing mouse or long-tailed rhipidomys is an arboreal rodent species in the family Cricetidae from South America. It is found in primary or secondary forests of the cerrado and caatinga in central and eastern Brazil, and has also been seen in the Atlantic Forest. Its karyotype is 2n = 44, FN = 48-52. They are nocturnal animals and can be found in both tree canopies and on the ground.
The caatinga vesper mouse is a rodent species in the family Cricetidae from South America. It is endemic to eastern Brazil, where it is found in open savanna (cerrado) and thorny scrub (caatinga) habitats. Its karyotype has 2n = 66 and FN = 68. It was formerly synonymized with C. callosus, but the latter has 2n = 50 and FN = 66. Karyologic analysis of C. expulsus has shown that the X chromosome is large and submetacentric while the Y chromosome is either acrocentric or submetacentric. Predators include the barn owl. Sexual dimorphism in shape and size occurs; the former is present mainly before the age of 20 days. Males are smaller before age 50 days and larger thereafter, which becomes less prominent after 200 days.
Thalpomys is a genus of South American rodents in the tribe Akodontini of family Cricetidae. Two species are known, both found in the cerrado tropical savanna ecoregion of central Brazil. They are as follows:
