''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 n ...

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

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: *Subgenus ''Apomys'' - smaller, arboreal species ** Camiguin forest mouse, ''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, ''A. aurorae''

, 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''

, 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''

, Balete, Veluz, Steppan, Esseltyn, Pfeiffer & Rickart, 2014 ** Lubang forest mouse, '' A. lubangensis''

, 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, ''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.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q134872 Rodents of the Philippines Rodent genera Taxa named by Edgar Alexander Mearns

Species

See also

References