Apodemus rusiges (G. S. Miller 1913)

Dataset
Muridae: Rank
SPECIES

Classification

kingdom
Animalia: phylum
Chordata: class
Mammalia: order
Rodentia: family
Muridae: genus
Apodemus: species
Apodemus rusiges

activity

Activity patterns. Kashmir Field Mice are terrestrial but good climbers, and nocturnal. They dig burrows under roots oftrees, making grass-lined nests in which they rest during the day or to raise young.

biology_ecology

Habitat. Montane forest, scrubland and grassland in hilly and rocky mountains, subalpine scrub and meadow, and coniferous forests, at 1980 - 3350 m.

biology_ecology

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Kashmir Field Mouseis a gregarious species, and different individuals use same burrows. It does not hibernate. Females do not allow males to enter burrows.

breeding

Breeding. The Kashmir Field Mouse breeds in spring and summer. Females produce four orfive litters per year, with average of five to six young perlitter. Gestation period is 25 - 26 days. Young are blind and naked at birth and become sexually mature at 12 - 14 weeks.

conservation

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

description

Descriptive notes. Head-body 77 - 112 mm, tail 78 - 122 mm, ear 11 - 18 mm, hindfoot 19 - 25 mm; weight 37 g (mean). According to Musser and Carleton in 2005, the Kashmir Field Mouse is very similar to the Himalayan Field Mouse (A. pallipes) but larger in size, with larger skull, and with longer bicolored tail (80 - 114 % of head-body length, average 95 %). It is dark brownish gray dorsally, sometimes with a mid-dorsalstripe, and ventral pelage is grayish white. Few specimens exhibit a small longitudinal yellow line of hairs on sternum and throat. Females have three pairs of mammae.

discussion

Apodemus rusiges was earlier listed as a subspecies of A. flavicollis or A. sylvaticus, but in 2005 G. G. Musser and M. D. Carleton highlighted its morphological differences from those species. No genetic data are available for rusiges. Monotypic.

distribution

Distribution. N Pakistan and adjacent NW India.

food_feeding

Food and Feeding. The Kashmir Field Mouse is herbivorous, feeding on different seed types and berries. It stores food in burrows, probably in order to survive cold winters.

materials_examined

Central Kashmir, India.

Name

Synonyms: Apodemus flavicollis subsp. rusiges G. S. Miller 1913
Homonyms: Apodemus rusiges (G. S. Miller 1913)
Common names: KaschmirWaldmaus in 德语; Kashmir Field Mouse in 英语; Mulot du Cachemire in 法语; Raton de campo de Cachemira in language.