Golden Oldfield mouse

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Golden Oldfield mouse
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Sigmodontinae
Genus: Thomasomys
Species:
T. aureus
Binomial name
Thomasomys aureus
(Tomes, 1860)

The golden Oldfield mouse or golden thomasomys (Thomasomys aureus) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. [2] It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Both the common and genus name commemorate the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas who worked at the Natural History Museum, London and studied South American rodents. [3]

Contents

Description

The Golden Oldfield mouse is a large member of its genus Thomasomys with a head-and-body length of 160 to 180 mm (6 to 7 in). The dorsal fur is thick, coarse, and long, a golden-brown colour grizzled with grey, with a narrow dark line along the spine. The ventral fur consists of grey hairs with yellowish tips. The hind feet are up to 40 mm (1.6 in) long, the upper surfaces having dark patches extending to the bases of the digits, with orange or white margins. The tail is unicoloured and ringed, clad with short hair and lacking a "pencil" (tuft of hairs) at its tip. The tail is 125 to 140% of the head-and-body length. [4]

Distribution and habitat

The species occurs in forests in the foothills of the Andes. Its range extends from western Venezuela and eastern Colombia through most of Ecuador and Peru, and western central Bolivia. It typically inhabits densely vegetated areas at altitudes of between 1,500 and 4,000 m (5,000 and 13,000 ft). [1]

Ecology

This mouse is partly arboreal. It has been found on horizontal branches making paths between the mosses and liverworts, and also on the ground with well-worn routes among the grasses and clumps of moss. [4] Nests have been found in trees a few metres above the ground. The diet includes vegetable matter, fruits, seeds and small invertebrates. [4]

Status

The golden Oldfield mouse has a wide range and is a fairly common species in most parts of its range, though less common in Ecuador. Deforestation is occurring throughout its range and populations may be declining, but the total population is likely to be large and any downward trend in populations is probably slow, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]

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Nephelomys auriventer, also known as the golden-bellied oryzomys or Ecuadorian rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. Oldfield Thomas originally described it, in 1899, as a species of Oryzomys, Oryzomys auriventer, and considered it most similar to Oryzomys aureus. In 1926, a subspecies was described from an Ecuadorian locality, Oryzomys auriventer nimbosus, and it was suggested that O. auriventer was closely related to O. albigularis. This proposal was formalized in 1961 by including O. auriventer within the species O. albigularis, but by 1976 O. auriventer was recognized again as a separate species. In 2006, Oryzomys albigularis and related species, including O. auriventer, were transferred to the new genus Nephelomys. Simultaneously, the former subspecies nimbosus was recognized as a separate species, Nephelomys nimbosus.

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<i>Thomasomys</i> Genus of rodents

Thomasomys is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae, named after British zoologist Oldfield Thomas. Nuclear DNA sequence analysis has indicated that it is a sister taxon to Rhagomys. It contains the following species:

The ashy-bellied Oldfield mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.

The slender Oldfield mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.

The soft-furred Oldfield mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.

Thomas's Oldfield mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.

The white-tipped Oldfield mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in the Andes from central Ecuador to northern Peru, at elevations from 2500 to 3350 m, where it lives in montane forest.

The Popayán Oldfield mouse, also called the "Popayán thomasomys", is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is present in the Andes of southwestern and central western Colombia, at elevations from 1800 to 3200 m. It has been found in páramo, montane forest, and secondary forest. It was formerly considered a subspecies of T. aureus. T. nicefori, presently considered a synonym, will likely be raised to the status of a separate species. The specific name comes from the Colombian city of Popayán.

The Cajamarca Oldfield mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is present in the Andes of northwestern Peru, where its habitats include shrubby páramo, montane forest, and secondary forest. The rodent is nocturnal and may be partly arboreal. It was formerly considered a subspecies of T. aureus. The common name comes from the Peruvian city and region of Cajamarca.

<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.

T. aureus may refer to:

References

  1. 1 2 3 Pacheco, V. (2016). "Thomasomys aureus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T96801180A22366616. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T96801180A22366616.en . Retrieved 17 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. 1180. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  3. ↑ "Thomas, Oldfield". Who's Who. Vol. 59. A & C Black. 1907. p. 1737.
  4. 1 2 3 Pacheco, V. (9 March 2015). Patton, J. L.; Pardiñas, U. F. J.; D’Elía, G. (eds.). Mammals of South America, Volume 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press. pp. 628–630. ISBN   978-0-226-16960-6. OCLC   921432000.
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