Mount Pulag tree-mouse | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Muridae |
Genus: | Musseromys |
Species: | M. beneficus |
Binomial name | |
Musseromys beneficus Heaney, Balete, Rickart, Veluz & Jansa, 2014 [2] | |
The Mount Pulag tree-mouse (Musseromys beneficus) [3] is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. [1] It is found on Mount Pulag in Luzon, Philippines. [1] [2]
As for all members of the genus Musseromys, they are small murids weighing between 15 and 22 g (0.53 and 0.78 oz). [2] They have tails of 82–101 mm (3.2–4.0 in) which are usually longer than the rest of their bodies 74–84 mm (2.9–3.3 in). [2]
Three adult specimens were collected, now in the collections of the Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH):
Their measurements are as follows :
Attribute | FMNH 198713 (♀) | FMNH 198714 (♀, holotype) | FMNH 198857 (♂) |
---|---|---|---|
Head-body length (mm) | 75 | 81 | 84 |
Tail length (mm) | 82 | 82 | 88 |
Weight (g) | 18 | 22 | 22 |
Data on this species endemic to the Philippines is, as of now, known from only one location. [2] This particularity, alongside lack of knowledge on habitats and potential threats of the species, brought the IUCN to assess the Mount Pulag tree-mouse as "Data Deficient". [1]
Mount Pulag is Luzon's highest peak at 2,928 metres (9,606 ft) above sea level, third-highest mountain in the Philippines, and the 26th-highest peak of an island on Earth. It is second-most prominent mountain in the Philippines, it is a dormant volcano. Located on the triple border of the provinces of Benguet, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya, the borders meet at the mountain's peak. Mount Pulag is third highest next to Mount Apo and Mount Dulang-dulang.
The Old World rats and mice, part of the subfamily Murinae in the family Muridae, comprise at least 519 species. Members of this subfamily are called murines. In terms of species richness, this subfamily is larger than all mammal families except the Cricetidae and Muridae, and is larger than all mammal orders except the bats and the remainder of the rodents.
Apomys, commonly known as earthworm mice, is a genus of rodent endemic to the Philippines. Mice belonging to this genus are generally called Philippine forest mice and can be found on most islands of the Philippines except in Palawan, the Sulu Archipelago, and the Batanes and Babuyan group of islands.
The cloud rats or cloudrunners are a tribe (Phloeomyini) of arboreal and nocturnal herbivorous rodents endemic to the cloud forests of the Philippines. They belong to the family Muridae and include five genera: Batomys, Carpomys, Crateromys, Musseromys, and Phloeomys. They range in size from as large as 50 cm (20 in) to as small as 74 mm (2.9 in). Cloud rats are threatened by habitat loss and illegal hunting. Several species are endangered or critically endangered.
The Camiguin forest mouse is a forest mouse endemic to the island of Camiguin in the southern Philippines. It has large ears and eyes, a long tail and rusty-brown fur, and it feeds mostly on insects and seeds. This description is based on mice captured during a biological survey conducted in 1994 and 1995 high on the steep slopes of one of the island's volcanoes.
The shrewlike rats, genus Rhynchomys, also known as the tweezer-beaked rats are a group of unusual Old World rats found only on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. They look a great deal like shrews and are an example of convergent evolution. Shrewlike rats evolved to be vermivores (worm-eaters) and insectivores feeding on soft-bodied invertebrates associated with leaf litter.
The Luzon montane forest mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae, from the genus Apomys. It occurs only in the Philippines, where it has been found on the large northern island Luzon. It is most closely related to the large Mindoro forest mouse, which occurs on Mindoro. There may be another related species in the Sierra Madre, but this species is yet undescribed. The Luzon montane forest mouse is a relatively large, ground-dwelling rat with a tail that is quite short for its genus.
The large Mindoro forest mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae, from the genus Apomys. It is found only in the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is a large mouse with large feet, a long tail and an elongated snout which is morphologically unique within its genus. It is covered in soft fur which is mostly dark brown in colour. Its closest relative is thought to be the Luzon montane forest mouse, based on genetic and morphological similarities.
The Luzon forest rat or Luzon hairy-tailed rat is one of five species of rodent in the genus Batomys. It is in the diverse family Muridae. This species is found only in the Philippines. This species was the first of the five to be identified and stayed the sole indicator for the genus for roughly 75 years, until 1988. Majority of this species lives on Mount Data which is one of several mountains in the Cordillera Mountains region of Northern Luzon.
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The Mindanao mountain rat or long-tailed moss mouse, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in the Philippines, where it is present at high altitudes in the Kitanglad Mountain Range on the island of Mindanao.
The southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat or southern Luzon giant cloud rat, also known as bugkon in Filipino, is a vulnerable species of rodent in the family Muridae, found only in southern Luzon in the Philippines. It is dark brown, occasionally with some reddish, but lacking the light-coloured sections usually seen in its close relative, the northern Luzon giant cloud rat. The southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat is a large rodent that has a total length of about 67–75 cm (26–30 in) and weighs 1.45–2.1 kg (3.2–4.6 lb).
The Katanglad shrew-mouse, also known as the Kitanglad shrew-mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is known only from one specimen taken at 2250 m on Mount Kitanglad, Bukidnon Province, Philippines.
The Luzon tropical pine forests are a tropical coniferous forest ecoregion of the Philippines in the western Pacific Ocean. These pine forests are home to a large number of the island's endemic plants and animals.
The Kalinga shrew mouse is a rodent of the genus Soricomys found in the northern province of Kalinga, island of Luzon, in the northern Philippines.
Musseromys is a genus of rodent, in the family Muridae, endemic to the Philippines. Four species are known, all from Luzon:
Banahaw tree mouse is a species of rodent in the family of Muridae. It is named after Mount Banahaw in Luzon, Philippines.
The Mount Tapulao forest mouse is a forest mouse endemic to the Mount Tapulao area in the Philippines. It is named after the American zoologist Barbara Elaine Russell Brown.
The Sierra Madre tree-mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in the forest of the northern Sierra Madre in Luzon, Philippines.
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