Colombian forest mouse

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Colombian forest mouse
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Sigmodontinae
Genus: Chilomys
Thomas, 1897
Species:
C. instans
Binomial name
Chilomys instans
Thomas, 1895

The Colombian forest mouse (Chilomys instans) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. [2] Some authorities consider it to be the only species in the genus Chilomys, while others accept Chilomys fumeus as being a valid species, and it may form part of a species complex. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

Contents

Description

Chilomys instans is very similar to Chilomys fumeus in size and appearance. Both are small sigmodontines, with a head-and-body length of 72 to 102 mm (2.8 to 4.0 in) and a tail length of 102 to 137 mm (4.0 to 5.4 in). The ears are medium-sized and clad in short hairs, and the body fur is woolly and short. The dorsal surface is dark grey to greyish-brown and the underparts are a similar colour. The hind feet are narrow, and the slender tail is clad with short hairs, and often has a white tip. There are three pairs of mammary glands. The chief differences between the two species lies in the morphology of the skull. [3]

Taxonomy

Based on both molecular and morphological studies, C. instans is believed to be most closely related to thomasomyine sigmodontines such as Aepeomys , Rhagomys , Rhipidomys and Thomasomys . The genus' morphology has been described as "peculiar". [3]

Distribution and habitat

The Colombian forest mouse is native to South America. It occurs in mountainous areas of Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, in humid forests at altitudes of between 1,000 and 3,700 m (3,300 and 12,100 ft). [1]

Ecology

Little is known of the behaviour. It seems to be nocturnal and lives on the ground where it creates runways among the mosses of the forest floor. Its diet includes insects, worms and plant material, and three new species of beetle have been identified from the stomach contents of this mouse in Colombia. [3] The larger woodland Oldfield mouse (Thomasomys hylophilus) shares its range. [1]

Status

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated this species as being of "least concern" on the basis that it has a wide distribution, is presumed to have a large population, occurs in several protected areas, and is not likely to be declining at a sufficient rate to qualify to be listed in a more-threatened category. [1]

Related Research Articles

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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 lesser Wilfred's mouse is a species of South American rodents of the family Cricetidae. It was first described by Wilfred H. Osgood under the name Thomasomys pictipes, then into the genus Wilfredomys, and now known as Juliomys pictipes. The lesser Wilfred's mouse is endemic to northeastern Argentina and southeastern Brazil. Its physical appearance ranges from dark brown to light orange coloration and the typical size is small to medium. This species is arboreal, spending most of its time trees and living in the local forests at altitudes from sea level to 2000 m. Currently, this species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, but, threats include livestock farming, ranching, and wood harvesting.

Gardner's climbing mouse is a rodent species from South America. It is found in western Brazil, southeastern Peru and northeastern Bolivia. It is an uncommon, arboreal species, but faces no particular threats so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being a "least-concern species".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-footed climbing mouse</span> Species of rodent

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.

Scolomys ucayalensis, also known as the long-nosed scolomys or Ucayali spiny mouse is a nocturnal rodent species from South America. It is part of the genus Scolomys within the tribe Oryzomyini. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru in various different habitats in the Amazon rainforest.

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 spotted bolo mouse or Ecuadorian akodont is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is known from Ecuador and may also occur in Colombia. Little is known of its status and range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fossorial giant rat</span> Species of rodent

The fossorial giant rat is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Argentina and Brazil but was determined extinct following a recent assessment of the conservation status of Sigmodontine rodents. Its natural habitat is assumed to be dry savanna, but there have been no ecological details reported.

Microryzomys altissimus, also known as the Páramo colilargo or highland small rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Microryzomys of family Cricetidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, but the Colombian segment may be a separate species.

Microryzomys minutus, also known as the montane colilargo or the forest small rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Microryzomys of family Cricetidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, but these populations may represent more than one species.

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Transandinomys bolivaris, also known as the long-whiskered rice rat, is a rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in humid forest from northeastern Honduras to western Ecuador, up to 1,800 m (5,900 ft) above sea level. Since it was first described in 1901 from Ecuador, six scientific names have been introduced for it, but their common identity was not documented until 1998 and the species has long been known under the name Oryzomys bombycinus, described from Panama in 1912. The name Oryzomys bolivaris was used before it was moved to the new genus Transandinomys with Transandinomys talamancae in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smoky mouse</span> Species of rodent

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Coues's climbing mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. It is named in honour of the American zoologist Elliott Coues who studied birds and small mammals.

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<i>Thomasomys ucucha</i> Species of rodent from Ecuador

Thomasomys ucucha, also known as the ucucha thomasomys, is a rodent in the genus Thomasomys of the family Cricetidae. It is known only from high altitude forest and grassland habitats in the Cordillera Oriental of Ecuador. Seven other species of Thomasomys live in the same areas. First collected in 1903, T. ucucha was formally described as a new species in 2003 and most closely resembles T. hylophilus, which occurs further to the north. The species is listed as "vulnerable" in the IUCN Red List as a result of habitat destruction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andean porcupine</span> Species of rodent

The Andean porcupine or Quichua porcupine is a species of rodent in the family Erethizontidae. It is found in the Andes of northern Ecuador and Colombia as well as in Panama. This porcupine is little known, but is probably arboreal, nocturnal and solitary like its relatives. The species is thought to be uncommon to rare and the population decreasing. It is threatened by deforestation, habitat fragmentation and agriculture.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Aguilera, M.; Tirira, D.G. (2016). "Chilomys instans". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T4634A22335661. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T4634A22335661.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. Musser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1110. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  3. 1 2 3 Patton, James L.; Pardiñas, Ulyses F. J.; D’Elía, Guillermo (2015). Mammals of South America, Volume 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press. pp. 577–580. ISBN   978-0-226-16957-6. OCLC   904333770.