The blue-gray mouse (''Pseudomys glaucus'') is an Australian rodent species that is only known by a few specimens found in

Eastern Australia The eastern states of Australia are the states adjoining the east continental coastline of Australia. These are the mainland states of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, and the island state of Tasmania. The Australian Capital Territory ...

, and since presumed to have become extinct.

Taxonomy

The species was described by

Oldfield Thomas Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas (21 February 1858 – 16 June 1929) was a British zoologist. Career Thomas worked at the Natural History Museum on mammals, describing about 2,000 new species and subspecies for the first time. He was appoin ...

in 1910. The number of specimens identified as ''Pseudomys glaucus'' is limited to three, two found in the northeastern state of Queensland and a single specimen collected to the south at

Cryon Cryon is a parish and hamlet in the north-west of New South Wales, Australia. It lies in the Walgett Shire and is situated from Sydney, west of Narrabri and east of Walgett on the Kamilaroi Highway. The settlement sits at an altitude of abou ...

in New South Wales.

Description

A species of ''

Pseudomys ''Pseudomys'' is a genus of rodent that contains a wide variety of mice native to Australia and New Guinea. They are among the few terrestrial placental mammals that colonised Australia without human intervention. Natural history This genus con ...

'', these Australian rodents resembled the familiar

house mouse The house mouse (''Mus musculus'') is a small mammal of the order Rodentia, characteristically having a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and almost hairless tail. It is one of the most abundant species of the genus '' Mus''. Althoug ...

(''Mus musculus''). The body of ''P. glaucus'' was robust with fine and dense fur, white at the underside and a pale blue-grey colour over the upperparts of the fur. The measurement of each of the three known specimens was 95 millimetres for the head and body combined, with a white-haired tail that was slightly longer (100 mm.) The weight range was 25 to 30 grams.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q882869 Pseudomys Mammals described in 1910 Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas Extinct rodents Rodents of Australia