The Macedonian mouse (''Mus macedonicus'') is a species 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 Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

in the family

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are either the largest or second-largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 870 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. ...

and order

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 Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

ia. This rodent occurs in the south

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

, the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

south to Israel and Jordan and east to Iran. It is considered part of a

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. Th ...

group along with three other species: the

house mouse The house mouse (''Mus musculus'') is a small mammal of the rodent family Muridae, characteristically having a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and almost hairless tail. It is one of the most abundant species of the genus '' Mus''. A ...

, steppe mouse, and Algerian mouse.

Description

The Macedonian mouse is a small rodent, weighing . Fur color is variable across its range; in a study of numerous specimens in Turkey, Macedonian mice were found to have back colors ranging from dark brown to pale light brown to dark-reddish brown. There is a distinct line of demarcation along the flanks that separates top and bottom coloration. The bottom coloration ranged from whitish grey, pure white, yellowish white, and reddish white. The ears have tiny white hairs. This rodent has a tail that is dark brown on top and lighter on bottom. The bottoms of the Macedonian mouse's feet are bare while the tops of their feet have white hairs. Macedonian mice are nocturnal.

Morphology

The '' sutura squamalis'' has distinction from other species because it is smoothed or protrudes slightly forward. The upper portion of the

zygomatic arch In anatomy, the zygomatic arch (colloquially known as the cheek bone), is a part of the skull formed by the zygomatic process of temporal bone, zygomatic process of the temporal bone (a bone extending forward from the side of the skull, over the ...

is also narrower than the lower portion. Macedonian mice found in Israel are smaller than their northern counterparts.

Physiology

Body mass of Macedonian mice exposed to short photoperiods increased - essentially they got bigger to stay warmer when it is cold. The short photoperiods also increased their resistance to cold while long photoperiods increased their ability to manage higher temperatures. Food consumption and waste production are lower in the mice that have longer photoperiods. These physiological changes allow the mice to be well adapted to the changes that occur in the Mediterranean on a seasonal basis. This mouse also shows a genetic tendency for

glial fibrillary acidic protein Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a protein that is encoded by the ''GFAP'' gene in humans. It is a type III intermediate filament (IF) protein that is expressed by numerous cell types of the central nervous system (CNS), including astro ...

in their lens epithelial cells. This is a new marker of polymorphism in the genus ''Mus''.

References

*Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 ''in'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1769318 Mus (rodent) Mammals described in 1983 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot