Apomys minganensis Heaney et al. 2011

202.

Mount Mingan Forest Mouse

Apomys minganensis

French: Apomys des Mingan / German: Mount-Mingan-Philippinenwaldmaus / Spanish: Ratén de bosque de Mingan

Other common names: Mount Mingan Apomys

Taxonomy. Apomys minganensis Heaney et al, 2011,

“Philippines: Luzon [Island]: Aurora Province: Dingalan Munic.: 1-5 km S, 0-5 km W Mingan peak, 1,681 m elevation, 15-46802°N, 121-40039°E.”

Apomys minganensis, newly collected in 2006, is a member of subgenus Megapomys, within which it occupies an isolated position but may be most closely related to A. sierrae, A. magnus, A. zambalensis, A. iridensis, and A. aurorae. At lower end ofits elevational range A. minganensis is sympatric with A. aurorae. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from the Mingan Mts, E LuzonI, Philippines, at elevations of 1540-1785 m; it may be present also in adjacent S Sierra Madre and the poorly surveyed Dingalan Mts.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 246-279 mm, tail 116-138 mm, ear 18-19 mm, hindfoot 31-35 mm; weight 66-92 g. Species of Apomys are soft-furred, small to medium-sized murines with relatively unspecialized body form; distinguished from other Philippine murines by a distinctive suite offeatures, includinglong, narrow hindfeet with sharp, recurved claws on all digits, thinly furred tail with weakly overlapping scales and three hairs per tail scale, unreduced eyes,relatively large and thinly furred ears, vibrissae on snout very elongate and, folded back, reach to shoulder or beyond, reduction to two mammae on each side, both inguinal, and a simplified molar pattern with cusps united into transverse laminae. Members of subgenus Megapomys are larger, shorter-tailed species active primarily on ground; in most forest habitats across Luzon, they are the most abundant terrestrial mammal in any local community. The Mount Mingan Forest Mouse, a relatively small Megapomys species, has fur on upperparts “dark brown with rusty-orange tips” over dark gray bases, fur on underparts and inside of limbs dark gray at base with paler tips that usually have ocherous wash, upperside and underside with abrupt boundary. Dark fur on foreand hindlimbs extends onto ankle and wrist; upper surfaces of foreand

hindfeetis dark brown, with pigmented skin and brown hairs even on digits; hindfeet relatively short and broad compared with those of other species of Megapomys, undersurface darkly pigmented at rear and surrounding but not including posterior pads, post-hallucal pad moderately elongate, other pads moderately large but well separated, digits relatively short and robust. Tail is moderately long (87-101%, average 94%, of head-body length), dark brown above and pure white or with scattered dark scales and hairs below for entire length. Cranium is similar to those of other Megapomys but molars unusually small and narrow, and molar rows parallel rather than diverging posteriorly.

Habitat. Restricted to evergreen tropical forest at elevations of 1540-1785 m. Itis the most abundant small ground mammal in the “mossy” forest type on Mount Mingan, but is somewhat less abundant in transitional montane—mossy forest at ¢.1540 m. Above 1680 m it was the only Megapomys species captured, and it likely extends to summit of Mount Mingan at 1910 m. The mossy forest on Mount Mingan is naturally disturbed by typhoons and features abundant climbing pandan palms (Pandanus, Pandanaceae) and bamboos.

Food and Feeding. L.. R. Heaney and coworkers reported in 2016 that Mount Mingan Forest Mice “show a strong preference for live earthwormbait rather than fried coconut and probably are at least somewhat omnivorous.”

Breeding. Heaney and colleagues reported that “four adultfemales carried one embryo each, and one hadthree.”

Activity patterns. Heaney and coworkers reported that “nearly all were captured at night, and all were captured on the ground surface (not in trees).”

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. The Mount Mingan range is not contained within a national park or protected area.

Bibliography. Balete et al. (2011), Engelbrektsson (2017), Heaney, Balete & Rickart (2016), Heaney, Balete, Rickart, Alviola et al. (2011), Justiniano et al. (2015), Musser (1982a), Musser & Carleton (2005).