Cursor grass mouse: Difference between revisions
m →Description: typo |
→Distribution and habitat: expand |
||
| Line 22: | Line 22: | ||
==Distribution and habitat== |
==Distribution and habitat== |
||
The exact geographic range of the cursor grass mouse is disputed. It is definitively known to inhabit eastern [[Brazil]] from [[Paraiba]] to [[Parana]], where it lives in patches of tropical [[Atlantic Forest]] and [[restinga]] scrubland at elevations from sea level to {{convert|1170|m}}. Some sources<ref name=iucn/> also report it as being found further south, in extreme southern Brazil, in eastern [[Paraguay]], and in northern [[Argentina]].<ref name=Pardinas2003>{{cite journal | author = Pardiñas, U.F.J., ''et al.'' | year = 2003 | title = The genus ''Akodon'' (Muroidea: Sigmodontinae) in Misiones, Argentina | journal = Mammalian Biology | volume = 68 | issue = 3 | pages = 129-143 | doi = 10.1078/1616-5047-00075}}</ref> These latter sources lack a definitive genetic analysis of the individuals identified, and it has been argued that they may represent members of other species, such as the montane grass mouse.<ref name=Geise2012/> |
|||
==Diet and behaviour== |
==Diet and behaviour== |
||
Revision as of 19:18, 24 September 2012
| Cursor Grass Mouse | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | A. cursor
|
| Binomial name | |
| Akodon cursor Winge, 1887
| |
The Cursor Grass Mouse or Cursorial Akodont (Akodon cursor), is a rodent species from South America.[2] It is found in Argentina and Brazil.[1]
Description
The cursor grass mouse is a moderately sized rodent, with a head-body length of 11 to 13 centimetres (4.3 to 5.1 in), and a tail 8 to 11 centimetres (3.1 to 4.3 in) long. Males are larger than females, weighing an average of 54 grams (1.9 oz), compared with 43 g (1.5 oz) for females. They have a typical mouse-like appearance, with short whiskers and stubby claws on the feet. They dark to golden brown fur over most of the body, with paler greyish or yellowish underparts. Some have a whitish spot between the ears, but this is not present on all individuals.[3]
Cursor grass mice are members of the A. cursor species group, and very similar in appearance to other members of the group. In particular, they cannot easily be distinguished from the closely related montane grass mouse, which inhabits neighbouring regions to the immediate south. Although the cursor grass mouse is, on average, slightly larger than the montane species, there is too much overlap for this to be a reliable guide. Instead, they can most readily be distinguished by the presence of a gall bladder in A. cursor (absent in the montane species), or by karyotypic analysis.[3][4]
Distribution and habitat
The exact geographic range of the cursor grass mouse is disputed. It is definitively known to inhabit eastern Brazil from Paraiba to Parana, where it lives in patches of tropical Atlantic Forest and restinga scrubland at elevations from sea level to 1,170 metres (3,840 ft). Some sources[5] also report it as being found further south, in extreme southern Brazil, in eastern Paraguay, and in northern Argentina.[6] These latter sources lack a definitive genetic analysis of the individuals identified, and it has been argued that they may represent members of other species, such as the montane grass mouse.[3]
Diet and behaviour
Reproduction
References
- ^ a b Template:IUCN2008
- ^ 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. p. 1094. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ a b c Geise, L. (2012). "Akodon cursor (Rodentia: Cricetidae)". Mammalian Species. 44 (1): 33–43. doi:10.1644/893.1.
- ^ Geise, L.; et al. (2004). "Presence or absence of gall bladder in some Akodontini rodents (Muridae, Sigmodontinae)". Mammalian Biology. 69 (3): 210–214. doi:10.1078/1616-5047-00136.
{{cite journal}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help) - ^ Cite error: The named reference
iucnwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Pardiñas, U.F.J.; et al. (2003). "The genus Akodon (Muroidea: Sigmodontinae) in Misiones, Argentina". Mammalian Biology. 68 (3): 129–143. doi:10.1078/1616-5047-00075.
{{cite journal}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help)