Apodemus epimelas (Nehring 1902)
- Dataset
- Muridae
- Rank
- SPECIES
Classification
- kingdom
- Animalia
- phylum
- Chordata
- class
- Mammalia
- order
- Rodentia
- family
- Muridae
- genus
- Apodemus
- species
- Apodemus epimelas
activity
Activity patterns. The Western Broad-toothed Field Mouse is terrestrial, and nocturnal and crepuscular. It takes shelter in rocky crevices or digs nests under boulders.
biology_ecology
Habitat. Found around rocks, preferring dry habitats with scrubby vegetation from sea level to 1620 m.
biology_ecology
Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.
breeding
Breeding. Reproduction takes place from May to September. Gestation period is ¢. 25 days and litter size is 2 - 8.
conservation
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red Lust.
description
Descriptive notes. Head-body 100 - 150 mm, tail 102 - 146 mm, ear 17 - 22 mm, hind-foot 24 - 28 mm; weight 28 - 56 g. The Western Broad-toothed Field Mouse is a large species with gray dorsal fur, gray-white ventral fur, long whiskers, and large ears. Chromosomal complement has 2 n = 48, FNa = 50.
discussion
Apodemus epimelas was initially treated as belonging to A. mystacinus. It was then placed in the Sylvaemus group by G. G. Musser and colleagues in 1996. Morphological studies by G. Storch in 1977 and molecular analyses summarized by Musser and M. D. Carleton in 2005 indicate that it merits species status, a treatment corroborated in 2015 by genetic data obtained by J. Darvish and colleagues, who showed that it is the sister species of A. mystacinus in a Karstomys clade. Monotypic.
distribution
Distribution. Croatia (including Adriatic islands of Korc ¢ ula and Mljet), S Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, S Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, SW Bulgaria, and Greece (including Ionian islands of Corfu, Cephalonia, Zakhyntos, and Kythera, and Aegean islands of Thasos, Alonissos, Peristera, Euboea, and Satamis).
food_feeding
Food and Feeding. Diet includes green parts of plants, seeds, fruits, and insects.
materials_examined
Agoriana, Parnassos, Greece.
Name
- Synonyms
- Mus epimelas Nehring 1902
- Homonyms
- Apodemus epimelas (Nehring 1902)
- Common names
- Européische Felsenmaus in German
- Mulot du Parnasse in French
- Ratén de campo de dientes anchos occidental in language.
- Western Broad-toothed Field Mouse in English