Cypriot mouse

The Cypriot mouse (Mus cypriacus) is a species of mouse endemic to Cyprus.[2][3] Its primary habitat seems to be the vineyards and fields of the Troödos Mountains region.[4]

Cypriot mouse
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Mus
Subgenus: Mus
Species:
M. cypriacus
Binomial name
Mus cypriacus
Cucchi et al., 2006

The mouse was recognized as a new species in 2004 by Thomas Cucchi, a research fellow at the University of Durham. It was formally described in 2006, in the journal Zootaxa.[5][4]

The Cypriot mouse has characteristics that distinguish it from other European mice: bigger ears, eyes and teeth;[6] DNA tests confirmed that it was a distinct species.[7] Its closest relative is Mus macedonicus, native to southeastern Europe through the Levant.[8]

"All other endemic mammals of Mediterranean islands died out following the arrival of man, with the exception of two species of shrew. The new mouse of Cyprus is the only endemic rodent still alive, and as such can be considered as a living fossil," said Cucchi.[4] It Originally, Cucchi wanted to call it Mus Aphrodite, as Cyprus is the birthplace of Aphrodite according to Greek mythology.

It is the only endemic species of terrestrial mammal that was present on Cyprus during the Pleistocene to remain extant, with the three other species, the Cyprus dwarf hippopotamus, the Cyprus dwarf elephant, and the Cyprus genet becoming extinct at the end of the Pleistocene around 12-11,000 years ago, following the arrival of humans to the islands.[9]

References
  1. Amori, G. (2017). "Mus cypriacus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T136641A22406364. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T136641A22406364.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. Cucchi, T.; Orth, A.; Auffray, J.-C.; Renaud, S.; Fabre, L.; Catalan, J.; Hadjisterkotis, E.; Bonhomme, F.; Vigne, J.-D. (23 June 2006). "A new endemic species of the subgenus Mus (Rodentia, Mammalia) on the Island of Cyprus". Zootaxa. Magnolia Press. 1241: 1–36. doi:10.5281/zenodo.172873.
  3. Amori, G.; Hadjisterkotis, E. (2008). "Mus cypriacus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: e.T136641A4321653. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T136641A4321653.en. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  4. Thomas Wagner (October 13, 2006). "'Living fossil' mouse found on Cyprus, a rare discovery for Europe". North County Times. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  5. "New mouse find is 'living fossil'". BBC News. October 12, 2006. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  6. "Durham Research Fellow discovers new species of mammal in Europe". University of Durham. October 11, 2006. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  7. Nancy H. Demand (2011). The Mediterranean Context of Early Greek History. John Wiley & Sons. p. 40. ISBN 9781444342345.
  8. Cazaux, Benoîte; Catalan, Josette; Veyrunes, Frédéric; Douzery, Emmanuel JP; Britton-Davidian, Janice (2011-05-13). "Are ribosomal DNA clusters rearrangement hotspots? A case study in the genus Mus (Rodentia, Muridae)". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 11 (1): 124. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-11-124. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 3112088. PMID 21569527.
  9. Athanassiou, Athanassios; van der Geer, Alexandra A.E.; Lyras, George A. (August 2019). "Pleistocene insular Proboscidea of the Eastern Mediterranean: A review and update". Quaternary Science Reviews. 218: 306–321. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.06.028. S2CID 199107354.


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