The Bornean pithecheirops (''Pithecheirops otion'') is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
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 ...
found in
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java Isl ...
. It is monotypic in the genus ''Pithecheirops''. ''Pithecheirops'' is closely related to the genus ''
Pithecheir'', and the name is derived from ''Pithecheir'' and the Greek ''ops'', meaning "resembling".
The only known example of this species was caught in the
Danum Valley Field Centre in
Sabah
Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory ...
, north Borneo, at approximately 150 m.
Description
It is similar to species in the genus ''
Pithecheir'', both having long, dense, soft fur and broad feet. The species is distinguished by the appearance of the inner ear bones and
auditory bulla.
Habitat
It was found in "dense viny roadside secondary brush on an abandoned logging road".
The dominant habitat of the area is lowland
dipterocarp forest.
IUCN lists the species as Data Deficient due to this being the only known example of the species. There is no information on population numbers or distribution to indicate if the species is at risk or not. However given the loss of forest and human disturbance in the area and the fact that it was found in a degraded habitat, it may be somewhat adaptable to habitat loss.
[
]
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q12266004, from2=Q146451
Old World rats and mice
Taxa named by Louise H. Emmons