Charming climbing mouse
| Charming climbing mouse | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Sigmodontinae |
| Genus: | Rhipidomys |
| Species: | R. venustus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Rhipidomys venustus Thomas, 1900
| |
The charming climbing mouse (Rhipidomys venustus) is a species of nocturnal rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is endemic to Venezuela.[2]
Taxonomy
[edit]Rhipidomys venustus was first described by Oldfield Thomas in 1900.[1] It is the only member of the genus Rhipidomys.[3] The type specimen was found in "Las Vegas del Chama" in Merida; it was collected in 1896 by S. Briceño.[4]
Description
[edit]The charming climbing mouse is a medium-sized rodent weighing between 41 grams (1.4 oz) to 75 grams (2.6 oz). It has as head-body length between 121 millimetres (4.8 in) and 150 millimetres (5.9 in), with a tail between 123 millimetres (4.8 in) to 165 millimetres (6.5 in). It has large dark ears, between 18 millimetres (0.71 in) to 20 millimetres (0.79 in).[3]
The thick, short fur is chestnut brown on the back and white with a dark slate base on the belly, with a sometimes reddish tail with a tuft of longer fur at the end.[3][4]
Habitat and conservation status
[edit]The charming climbing mouse is endemic to the mountains of western and northern Venezuela, in Merida, Trujillo, Tachira, Falcon, Yaracuy, Aragua, and Varagas states.[3][1] It has been found at elevations from 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) to 2,280 metres (7,480 ft). Little is known about its population, diet, or lifecycle though one female has been observed to be pregnant in the local wet season (May to October).[1][3] It is nocturnal and can be both tree and ground-dwelling. It is found in cloud and evergreen forests, as well as coffee plantations.[1][3]
It is considered a species of Least Concern by the IUCN due to its wide distribution.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Cassola, F. (2016). "Rhipidomys venustus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T19617A22375090. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T19617A22375090.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d e f "Rhidomys venustus Thomas 1990 - Plazi TreatmentBank". tb.plazi.org. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
- ^ a b "New South-American Mammals". The Annals and Magazine of Natural History; Zoology, Botany, and Geology. 1900.
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