Pseudomys apodemoides

346.

Silky Mouse

Pseudomys apodemoides

French: Pseudomys soyeux / German: Seidige Australienmaus / Spanish: Raton sedoso

Other common names: Silky Pseudomys

Taxonomy. Pseudomys (gyomys) [sic] apodemoides Finlayson, 1932,

Coombe, South Australia, Australia.

Placed earlier in genus Gyomys, P. apode- moides was returned to Pseudomys by G. H. H. Tate in 1951 and subsequent authors. It was synonymized with P. albocinereus by W. D. L. Ride in 1970 but, as a result of genetic analyses, P. R. Baverstock and colleagues in 1977 resurrected it, F. Ford in 2006 and B. Breed and Ford in 2007 plac-

ing P. apodemoides in same clade as P. albocinereus and P. fumeus. Monotypic.

Distribution. SE South Australia and W Victoria, in SE Australia.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 65-95 mm, tail 90-115 mm, ear 16-19 mm, hindfoot 20-23 mm; weight 16-22 g. Dorsal pelage of this mouse-like rodent is silver gray with some light brown hairs, and ventral surface is white. Tail is longer than head-body length. Some scattered white hairs can be seen on the pink naked tail.

Habitat. Semi-desert sandy regions with Banksia ornata (Proteaceae) shrubs and postfire regrowth vegetation.

Food and Feeding. The Silky Mouse is primarily granivorous, but sometimes omnivorous, the diet including flowers, pollen, fungi, and insects and other arthropods.

Breeding. Most breeding occurs in spring and early summer, but these mice reproduce at any time of year, and it has been observed that breeding coincides with an abundance of flowers, fungi, and/or seeds. Gestation lasts 34-38 days, females giving birth to litter of 2-5 (average 3—4) young; under good conditions females may produce 2-3 litters in same season. Young are weaned after 40 days and reach sexual maturity after three months.

Activity patterns. The Silky Mouse is a terrestrial, burrowing rodent. It digs burrows in deep sandy soils, often beneath B. ornata scrubs; these are characterized by a series of steep shafts connected by horizontal tunnels up to 1-5 m in depth. A spherical nest chamber is lined with shredded bark and leaves.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Silky Mice may colonize new patches inregenerating habitats after fires. In captivity, females nest communally in groups of 2-3 in a burrow system. Males live alone and visit females at different times. Young mature females disperse to new burrows and establish new groups.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Populations are highly dependent on active fire management which provides regenerating heathland at different stages. There are no major threats to this species, which is found in several protected areas.

Bibliography. Baverstock et al. (1977), Breed & Ford (2007), Cockburn (1981), Cockburn & Menkhorst (2008), Ford (2006), Menkhorst et al. (2008), Ride (1970), Tate (1951), Watts & Aslin (1981).