''Apomys'', commonly known as earthworm mice, is a genus of
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...
endemic to the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. Mice belonging to this genus are generally called Philippine forest mice and can be found on most islands of the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
except in Palawan, the Sulu Archipelago, and the Batanes and Babuyan group of islands.
''Apomys'' mice weigh from 18g to 128g. The tail is longer or nearly equal the length of the head and body. The soft and thick fur of these mice is darker on the back while the front fur is paler, often nearly white with a moderate orange yellow wash. The hind feet are moderately long and narrow, have six plantar pads, and have digits 2–4 notably longer than digit 5 and the hallux. All species have two pairs of inguinal mammae.
Species
Nineteen species are known in two subgenera:
Camiguin forest mouse
The Camiguin forest mouse (''Apomys camiguinensis'') is a forest mouse endemic to the island of Camiguin in the southern Philippines. It has large ears and eyes, a long tail and rusty-brown fur, and it feeds mostly on insects and seeds. This des ...
, ''A. camiguinensis'' Heaney
Heaney is a surname of Irish origin. It is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic ''Ó hEignigh'', thought to be based on the Gaelic a personal name meaning "horseman". It was mistakenly thought to derive from Éan, Gaelic for Bird.
Versions of it ar ...
& Tabaranza, 2006
** Mount Apo forest mouse, ''A. hylocoetes'' Mearns, 1905
** Mindanao montane forest mouse, ''A. insignis'' Mearns, 1905
** Mindanao lowland forest mouse, ''A. littoralis'' Sanborn, 1952
** Small Luzon forest mouse, ''A. microdon'' Hollister, 1913
** Least forest mouse, ''A. musculus'' Miller, 1911
*Subgenus ''Megapomys'' - larger, ground-living species
** Luzon Cordillera forest mouse, ''A. abrae'' Sanborn, 1952
**Luzon Aurora forest mouse
The Luzon Aurora forest mouse (''Apomys aurorae'') is a forest mouse endemic to Aurora in Luzon, Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=n ...
, ''A. aurorae'' Heaney
Heaney is a surname of Irish origin. It is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic ''Ó hEignigh'', thought to be based on the Gaelic a personal name meaning "horseman". It was mistakenly thought to derive from Éan, Gaelic for Bird.
Versions of it ar ...
, Balete, Alviola, Duya, Veluz, VandeVrede & Steppan, 2011
** Mount Banahaw forest mouse, ''A. banahao'' Heaney, Balete, Alviola, Duya, Veluz, VandeVrede & Steppan, 2011
** Mount Tapulao forest mouse, ''A. brownorum'' Heaney
Heaney is a surname of Irish origin. It is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic ''Ó hEignigh'', thought to be based on the Gaelic a personal name meaning "horseman". It was mistakenly thought to derive from Éan, Gaelic for Bird.
Versions of it ar ...
, Balete, Alviola, Duya, Veluz, VandeVrede & Steppan, 2011
**Luzon montane forest mouse
The Luzon montane forest mouse (''Apomys datae'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae, from the genus ''Apomys''.
It occurs only in the Philippines, where it has been found on the large northern island Luzon (in the Cordillera Central ...
, ''A. datae'' Meyer, 1899
**Large Mindoro forest mouse
The large Mindoro forest mouse (''Apomys gracilirostris'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae, from the genus ''Apomys''. It is found only in the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is ...
, ''A. gracilirostris'' Ruedas, 1995
** Mount Irid forest mouse, '' A. iridensis'' Heaney
Heaney is a surname of Irish origin. It is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic ''Ó hEignigh'', thought to be based on the Gaelic a personal name meaning "horseman". It was mistakenly thought to derive from Éan, Gaelic for Bird.
Versions of it ar ...
, Balete, Veluz, Steppan, Esseltyn, Pfeiffer & Rickart, 2014
**Lubang forest mouse
The Lubang forest mouse (''Apomys lubangensis'') is a forest mouse endemic to Lubang Island in the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links= ...
, '' A. lubangensis'' Heaney
Heaney is a surname of Irish origin. It is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic ''Ó hEignigh'', thought to be based on the Gaelic a personal name meaning "horseman". It was mistakenly thought to derive from Éan, Gaelic for Bird.
Versions of it ar ...
, Balete, Veluz, Steppan, Esseltyn, Pfeiffer & Rickart, 2014
** Luzon giant forest mouse, ''A. magnus'' Heaney, Balete, Alviola, Duya, Veluz, VandeVrede & Steppan, 2011
** Mount Mingan forest mouse, ''A. minganensis'' Heaney, Balete, Alviola, Duya, Veluz, VandeVrede & Steppan, 2011
**Long-nosed Luzon forest mouse
The long-nosed Luzon forest mouse (''Apomys sacobianus''), also known as the Pinatubo volcano mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found only in the Philippines.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.
It ...
, ''A. sacobianus'' Johnson, 1962
** Sierra Madre forest mouse, ''A. sierrae'' Heaney, Balete, Alviola, Duya, Veluz, VandeVrede & Steppan, 2011
** Luzon Zambales forest mouse, ''A. zambalensis'' Heaney, Balete, Alviola, Duya, Veluz, VandeVrede & Steppan, 2011
Several species also awaits formal description.
The species generally inhabit narrow ecological niches with small endemic ranges.
See also
*Cloud rat
The cloud rats or cloudrunners are a tribe (Phloeomyini) of arboreal and nocturnal herbivorous rodents endemic to the cloud forests of the Philippines. They belong to the family Muridae and include five genera: ''Batomys'' (hairy-tailed rats), ' ...
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q134872
Rodents of the Philippines
Rodent genera
Taxa named by Edgar Alexander Mearns