Apodemus rusiges

521.

Kashmir Field Mouse

Apodemus rusiges

French: Mulot du Cachemire / German: KaschmirWaldmaus / Spanish: Raton de campo de Cachemira

Taxonomy. Apodemus flavicollis rusiges G. S. Miller, 1913,

Central Kashmir, India.

Apodemus rusiges was earlier listed as a subspecies of A. flavicollis or A. sylvaticus, but in 2005 G. G.Musser and M. D. Carleton highlighted its morphological differences from those species. No genetic data are available for rusiges. Monotypic.

Distribution. N Pakistan and adjacent NW India.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 77-112 mm,tail 78-122 mm, ear 11-18 mm, hindfoot 19-25 mm; weight 37 g (mean). According to Musser and Carleton in 2005, the Kashmir Field Mouse is very similar to the Himalayan Field Mouse (A. pallipes) but larger in size, with larger skull, and with longer bicolored tail (80-114% of head-body length, average 95%). It is dark brownish gray dorsally, sometimes with a mid-dorsalstripe, and ventral pelage is grayish white. Few specimens exhibit a small longitudinal yellow line of hairs on sternum and throat. Females have three pairs of mammae.

Habitat. Montane forest, scrubland and grassland in hilly and rocky mountains, subalpine scrub and meadow, and coniferous forests, at 1980-3350 m.

Food and Feeding. The Kashmir Field Mouse is herbivorous, feeding on different seed types and berries. It stores food in burrows, probably in order to survive cold winters.

Breeding. The Kashmir Field Mouse breeds in spring and summer. Females produce four orfive litters per year, with average of five to six young perlitter. Gestation period is 25-26 days. Young are blind and naked at birth and become sexually mature at 12-14 weeks.

Activity patterns. Kashmir Field Mice are terrestrial but good climbers, and nocturnal. They dig burrows under roots oftrees, making grass-lined nests in which they rest during the day or to raise young.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Kashmir Field Mouseis a gregarious species, and different individuals use same burrows. It does not hibernate. Females do not allow males to enter burrows.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Musser & Carleton (2005), Roberts (1977).