''Apomys'', commonly known as earthworm mice, is a genus of
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are roden ...
endemic to the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. Mice belonging to this genus are generally called Philippine forest mice and can be found on most islands of the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
except in Palawan, the Sulu Archipelago, and the Batanes and Babuyan group of islands.
''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.
Species
Nineteen species are known in two subgenera:
Heaney
Heaney is a surname of Irish origin. It is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic ''Ó hEignigh'', thought to be based on the Gaelic a personal name meaning "horseman". It was mistakenly thought to derive from Éan, Gaelic for Bird.
Versions of it a ...
& Tabaranza, 2006
**Mount Apo forest mouse
The Mount Apo forest mouse (''Apomys hylocetes'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found only in the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republi ...
, ''A. hylocoetes'' Mearns, 1905
**Mindanao montane forest mouse
The Mindanao montane forest mouse (''Apomys insignis'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae
The Muridae, or murids, are the largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 1,383 species, including many species of ...
, ''A. insignis'' Mearns, 1905
**Mindanao lowland forest mouse
The Mindanao lowland forest mouse (''Apomys littoralis'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found only in the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, ...
, ''A. littoralis'' Sanborn, 1952
**Small Luzon forest mouse
The small Luzon forest mouse (''Apomys microdon'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found only in the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republ ...
, ''A. microdon'' Hollister, 1913
** Least forest mouse, ''A. musculus'' Miller, 1911
*Subgenus ''Megapomys'' - larger, ground-living species
**Luzon Cordillera forest mouse
The Luzon Cordillera forest mouse (''Apomys abrae'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae found only in the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng ...
, ''A. abrae'' Sanborn, 1952
** Luzon Aurora forest mouse, ''A. aurorae'' Heaney
Heaney is a surname of Irish origin. It is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic ''Ó hEignigh'', thought to be based on the Gaelic a personal name meaning "horseman". It was mistakenly thought to derive from Éan, Gaelic for Bird.
Versions of it a ...
, Balete, Alviola, Duya, Veluz, VandeVrede & Steppan, 2011
**Mount Banahaw forest mouse
The Mount Banahaw forest mouse (''Apomys banahao'') is a forest mouse endemic to the Mount Banahaw
Mount Banahaw (; also spelled as Banahao and Banájao) is an active complex volcano on Luzon in the Philippines. The three-peaked volcano is lo ...
, ''A. banahao'' Heaney, Balete, Alviola, Duya, Veluz, VandeVrede & Steppan, 2011
**Mount Tapulao forest mouse
The Mount Tapulao forest mouse (''Apomys brownorum'') is a forest mouse endemic to the Mount Tapulao area in the Philippines. It is named after the American zoologist Barbara Elaine Russell Brown.
Anatomy and physiology
The mouse is the small ...
, ''A. brownorum'' Heaney
Heaney is a surname of Irish origin. It is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic ''Ó hEignigh'', thought to be based on the Gaelic a personal name meaning "horseman". It was mistakenly thought to derive from Éan, Gaelic for Bird.
Versions of it a ...
, Balete, Alviola, Duya, Veluz, VandeVrede & Steppan, 2011
** Luzon montane forest mouse, ''A. datae'' Meyer, 1899
** Large Mindoro forest mouse, ''A. gracilirostris'' Ruedas, 1995
** Mount Irid forest mouse, '' A. iridensis'' Heaney
Heaney is a surname of Irish origin. It is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic ''Ó hEignigh'', thought to be based on the Gaelic a personal name meaning "horseman". It was mistakenly thought to derive from Éan, Gaelic for Bird.
Versions of it a ...
, Balete, Veluz, Steppan, Esseltyn, Pfeiffer & Rickart, 2014
**Lubang forest mouse
The Lubang forest mouse (''Apomys lubangensis'') is a forest mouse endemic to Lubang Island in the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links= ...
, '' A. lubangensis'' Heaney
Heaney is a surname of Irish origin. It is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic ''Ó hEignigh'', thought to be based on the Gaelic a personal name meaning "horseman". It was mistakenly thought to derive from Éan, Gaelic for Bird.
Versions of it a ...
, Balete, Veluz, Steppan, Esseltyn, Pfeiffer & Rickart, 2014
**Luzon giant forest mouse
The Luzon giant forest mouse (''Apomys magnus'') is a forest mouse
A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. Th ...
, ''A. magnus'' Heaney, Balete, Alviola, Duya, Veluz, VandeVrede & Steppan, 2011
**Mount Mingan forest mouse
The Mount Mingan forest mouse (''Apomys minganensis'') is a forest mouse endemic to Mount Mingan
Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest.
Mount or Mounts may also refer to:
Places
* Mount, Cornwall, ...
, ''A. minganensis'' Heaney, Balete, Alviola, Duya, Veluz, VandeVrede & Steppan, 2011
** Long-nosed Luzon forest mouse, ''A. sacobianus'' Johnson, 1962
** Sierra Madre forest mouse, ''A. sierrae'' Heaney, Balete, Alviola, Duya, Veluz, VandeVrede & Steppan, 2011
**Luzon Zambales forest mouse
The Luzon Zambales forest mouse (''Apomys zambalensis'') is a forest mouse endemic to Zambales in Luzon, Philippines.
References
Apomys
Rodents of the Philippines
Mammals described in 2011
Endemic fauna of the Philippines
{{Mu ...
, ''A. zambalensis'' Heaney, Balete, Alviola, Duya, Veluz, VandeVrede & Steppan, 2011
Several species also awaits formal description.
The species generally inhabit narrow ecological niches with small endemic ranges.
See also
*Cloud rat
The cloud rats or cloudrunners are a Tribe (biology), tribe (Phloeomyini) of arboreal and nocturnal herbivorous rodents endemic to the cloud forests of the Philippines. They belong to the family Muridae and include five genera: ''Batomys'' (hair ...
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q134872
Rodents of the Philippines
Rodent genera
Taxa named by Edgar Alexander Mearns