''Scolomys melanops'', also known as the short-nosed scolomys, South American spiny mouse, Ecuadorian spiny mouse, or gray spiny mouse, 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 genus ''

Scolomys ''Scolomys'' is a genus of rodent in the tribe Oryzomyini of the family Cricetidae. Some evidence suggests that it is related to ''Zygodontomys''. It is characterized, among other traits, by spiny fur. It contains two species, '' S. melanops'' an ...

'' of 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 ...

. It is a forest mouse and was thought to be

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

but it is now known to have a wider distribution, being also present in part of Peru.

Description

The South American spiny mouse has a total length of between including a tail of . It has a short, broad head, a small body and a nearly naked tail. The dorsal pelage is short and dense and consists of a mixture of slender hairs with reddish or blackish tips and stouter spines of the same length that are darker at the tip, giving a grizzled appearance. The fur on the ventral surface has similar hairs and spines but they are a uniform grey colour. Morphologically this species is very similar to the closely related Ucayali spiny mouse (''Scolomys ucayalensis''). The differences are mostly in the skull characteristics and the dentition. The

karyotype A karyotype is the general appearance of the complete set of chromosomes in the cells of a species or in an individual organism, mainly including their sizes, numbers, and shapes. Karyotyping is the process by which a karyotype is discerned by de ...

of ''S. melanops'' has 2n = 60 and FN = 78, while that of ''S. ucayalensis'' has 2n = 50, FN = 68.

Distribution and habitat

This species is found in Ecuador on the eastern side of the Andes and also near

Iquitos Iquitos (; ) is the capital city of Peru's Maynas Province, Peru, Maynas Province and Loreto Region. It is the largest metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, east of the Andes, as well as the List of cities in Peru, ninth-most populous city in Peru ...

in eastern Peru, at altitudes between about . Its habitat is primary and secondary forest, forest fragments, and cropland near forest borders. It does not seem to be arboreal and little is known of its biology, but pregnant females have been seen in March and April. The nest often includes fibres from the undergrowth palm '' Lepidocaryum tenue'' and the litter size averages 2.5.

Status

''S. melanops'' is thought to have a large range in the forests of tropical South America, and is thus presumed to have a large total population. It faces no particular threats, but deforestation may affect it locally. It lives in both primary and secondary forests and is present in several protected areas, and 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 of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1764405 Scolomys Mammals described in 1924 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot