Hastings River mouse

Last updated

Hastings River mouse
Hastings River Mouse.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Pseudomys
Species:
P. oralis
Binomial name
Pseudomys oralis
Thomas, 1921

The Hastings River mouse (Pseudomys oralis) is a species of Australian rodent in the subfamily Murinae [2] [3] of the family Muridae. It is found only in Australia. [1]

Contents

Ecological role

Although it is not known if the Hastings River mouse nests with other breeds of this rodent or individually, it is known that in captivity, the Hastings River mouse can eat grain. In the wild, the species adapts well to the seasons by eating various plant materials in the summer and when winter comes, the diet is supplemented by fungi. [4] There is a breeding season in the wild that occurs from August through March. There is also mating that occurs during the winter.

Population and conservation role

There is little known on the population of this species, as the species is both rare and elusive. The Hastings River mouse is often found in New South Wales, Eastern Australia and Queensland in altitudes reaching 1200 m. The Hastings River mouse is easily killed by humans suggesting possible domesticity of this species.

Size and biology

The body and head of this species measures about 145 mm and the average tail measurement is about 140 mm, slightly larger than most other mice. It also weighs an approximate 92 g.

Related Research Articles

<i>Pseudomys</i> Genus of rodents

Pseudomys is a genus of rodent that contains a wide variety of mice native to Australia and New Guinea. They are among the few terrestrial placental mammals that colonised Australia without human intervention.

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

The woodland jumping mouse is a species of jumping mouse found in North America. It can jump up to 3 m (9.8 ft) using its extremely strong feet and long tail.

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

The heath mouse is a species of mouse in the subfamily Murinae, the Old World rats and mice, found in Australia.

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

The plains rat(Pseudomys australis), also known as the palyoora, plains mouse and eastern mouse, is a conilurine rodent native to arid and semi-arid Australia. Referred to as the pallyoora or yarlie by Indigenous groups, the plains rat was once widely distributed across central Australia, including north-west New South Wales and south-west Queensland; however, habitat degradation due to grazing, introduced predators and drought have contributed to its decline. Consequently, the plains rat has been listed as 'presumed extinct' in New South Wales and Victoria, 'endangered' in the Northern Territory and Queensland and 'vulnerable' in Western Australia and South Australia. While recent research has indicated the presence of the plains rat in areas such as the Fowlers Gap and Strzelecki Desert regions of New South Wales and within the Diamantina National Park in Queensland, there are only five sub-populations currently recognised nationally, none of which coincide with recent discoveries of the plains rat. As the current population trend of the plains rat has been listed as 'declining' by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the IUCN conservation status for the species is 'vulnerable'.

The Forrest's mouse, or desert short-tailed mouse, is a small species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is a widespread but sparsely distributed species found across arid and semi-arid inland Australia, commonly found in tussock grassland, chenopod shrubland, and mulga or savannah woodlands.

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

The ash-grey mouse is a rodent in the family Muridae. Larger and more robust than Mus musculus, the common house mouse, it is found only in Southwest Australia.

The silky mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Australia.

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

Bolam's mouse is a species of nocturnal, burrowing rodent in the family Muridae that inhabits the semi arid and southern arid regions of Australia. It has a number of physiological and behavioural adaptations developed to cope with an extremely varied climate. Including the ability survive by extracting water from seeds alone, the production of highly concentrated urine, low water content faeces and nocturnal activity.

Western pebble-mound mouse or Ngadji is a burrowing and mound building rodent in the family Muridae. They occur in the Pilbara, a remote region in the northwest of Australia.

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

The desert mouse, also known as the brown desert mouse, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Australia. The first desert mouse specimen was collected by Australian zoologist Gerard Krefft on the Blandowski Expedition in 1856-57, between Gol Gol Creek and the Darling River.

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

The smoky mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae native to southeastern Australia. It was first described in 1934 and its species name is Latin for "smoky". As its name suggests, it is a grey-furred mouse, darker grey above and paler smoky grey below. Mice from the Grampians are larger and a darker more slate-grey above. It has a black eye-ring and dark grey muzzle. The feet are light pink, and the ears a grey-pink. The tail is longer than the mouse's body, and is pink with a brownish stripe along the top. Mice from east of Melbourne average around 35 grams and have 107 mm long bodies with 116 mm long tails, while those from the Grampians are around 65 grams and have 122 mm long bodies with 132 mm long tails.

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

The sandy inland mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. Also known as the Hermannsburg (Mission) false-mouse or Hermannsburg mouse, it is endemic to Australia and found widely yet sparsely through arid and semi-arid areas.

The western chestnut mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is native to northern Australia and various close islands, with the vast majority found in Queensland and the Northern Territory.

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

The New Holland mouse also known as a Pookila is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It was first described by George Waterhouse in 1843. It vanished from view for over a century before its rediscovery in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park north of Sydney in 1967. It is found only in south east Australia, within the states of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Tasmania.

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

The western mouse or walyadji is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. Once widespread across a larger range, it has become restricted to around ten reserves of remnant bushland in Southwest Australia and declared near threatened by extinction. They are small and robust mice that live in burrows in sandy soil, venturing out at night to forage in nearby area.

The country mouse also known as the pebble-mound mouse or eastern pebble mound mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It lives only in Australia, where it is considered rare. It was described by Thomas and Dollman in 1909.

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

Pseudomys pilligaensis, commonly known as the Pilliga mouse or poolkoo, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. Its distribution comprises the Pilliga forest region of New South Wales, Australia, specimens have also been trapped in the Warrumbungle National Park and Weetalibah Nature Reserve. Its conservation status is currently listed as "Data Deficient" due to unresolved questions on its taxonomic status.

The central pebble-mound mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae, native to Australia. The Kimberley mouse was, until recently, considered distinct from P. johnsoni, but they are now known to be conspecific. It is one of the pebble-mound mice.

Pebble-mound mice are a group of rodents from Australia in the genus Pseudomys. They are small, brownish mice with medium to long, often pinkish brown tails. Unlike some other species of Pseudomys, they construct mounds of pebbles around their burrows, which play an important role in their social life.

References

  1. 1 2 Woinarski, J. & Burbidge, A.A. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Pseudomys oralis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T18554A115143455. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T18554A22398211.en . Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  2. Breed, Bill; Ford, Fred (2007). Native Mice and Rats (PDF). CSIRO Publishing.
  3. Musser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Pseudomys oralis". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 894–1531. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  4. "Hastings River Mouse". Archived from the original on 2004-09-06. Retrieved 2010-12-01.