Apomys

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.

Apomys
Temporal range:
Large Mindoro forest mouse (Apomys gracilirostris)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Tribe: Hydromyini
Genus: Apomys
Mearns, 1905
Type species
Apomys hylocetes
Mearns, 1905
Species

Apomys abrae
Apomys aurorae
Apomys banahao
Apomys brownorum
Apomys camiguinensis
Apomys datae
Apomys gracilirostris
Apomys hylocetes
Apomys insignis
Apomys iridensis
Apomys littoralis
Apomys lubangensis
Apomys magnus
Apomys microdon
Apomys minganensis
Apomys musculus
Apomys sacobianus
Apomys sierrae
Apomys zambalensis

Apomys mice weigh from 18g to 128g. The tail is longer or nearly equal the length of the head and body. The soft and thick fur of these mice is darker on the back while the front fur is paler, often nearly white with a moderate orange yellow wash. The hind feet are moderately long and narrow, have six plantar pads, and have digits 2–4 notably longer than digit 5 and the hallux. All species have two pairs of inguinal mammae.[1]

Species

Nineteen species are known in two subgenera:[2][3][1][4]

Several species also awaits formal description.

The species generally inhabit narrow ecological niches with small endemic ranges.

See also

References
  1. Heaney, L; Balete D; Rickart E; Alviola P; Duya M; Duya M; Veluz M; VandeVrede L; Steppan S (2011). "Seven New Species and a New Subgenus of Forest Mice (Rodentia: Muridae: Apomys) from Luzon Island". Fieldiana Life and Earth Sciences. doi:10.3158/2158-5520-2.1.1. S2CID 86544405.
  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. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  3. Heaney, L.R.; Tabaranza B.R. Jr. (2006). "A new species of forest mouse, genus Apomys (Mammalia: Rodentia: Muridae), from Camiguin Island, Philippines". Fieldiana Zoology. 106: 14–27. doi:10.3158/0015-0754(2006)106[14:ansofm]2.0.co;2. S2CID 85757707.
  4. Heaney, L.R.; Balete, D.S.; Veluz, M.J.; Steppan, S.J.; Esseltyn, J.A.; Pfeiffer, A.W.; Rickart, E.A. (2014). "Two new species of Philippine forest mice (Apomys, Muridae, Rodentia) from Lubang and Luzon Islands, with a redescription of Apomys sacobianus Johnson, 1962". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 126 (4): 395–413. doi:10.2988/0006-324X-126.4.395. S2CID 49347286.
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