The dark bolo mouse or dark-furred akodont (''Necromys obscurus'') 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

Cricetidae The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New World rats and mice. At over 870 species, it is either the largest or second-largest family ...

. There are two subspecies; one (ssp. ''scagliarum'') is found in eastern and central parts of

Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, and the other (ssp. ''obscurus'') in coastal areas of southern

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

Description

The dark bolo mouse is the largest species in the genus, with a head-and-body length of about and a tail length of . The fur is fairly long and glossy. The dorsal surface is dark brown to brownish-black, the individual hairs having black bases and tips and pale central portions, giving the pelage an "agouti" appearance. The cheeks and flanks are tinged with orange or buff and the underparts are greyish, the hairs having yellowish tips. The tail is deep brown above and grey underneath, and the upper surfaces of the hands are dark, with dark fur mixed with some buff hairs on the feet.

Distribution and habitat

The dark bolo mouse is found in two separate locations; the coastal region of southern Uruguay, and the inland and coastal regions of eastern

in Argentina. The fossil record shows that at one time it had a wider distribution in Argentina. Its habitat includes grassland and the verges of cultivated fields, moist areas near streams, and rocky areas in hilly country.

Ecology

The dark bolo mouse is mainly diurnal and normally lives on the ground surface although it sometimes undertakes some burrowing activity. It is an omnivore and feeds on small invertebrates such as

crickets Crickets are orthopteran insects which are related to bush crickets and more distantly, to grasshoppers. In older literature, such as Imms,Imms AD, rev. Richards OW & Davies RG (1970) ''A General Textbook of Entomology'' 9th Ed. Methuen 886 ...

and

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

s, as well as plant material.

Status

The dark bolo mouse has a fragmented area of distribution. It is fairly common where it does occur, but seems not to tolerate disturbance to the meadows areas where it lives. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

has assessed its conservation status as being "

near threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to Endangered species, endangerment in the ne ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q306412 Necromys Mammals of Argentina Mammals of Uruguay Mammals described in 1837 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot