''Neacomys spinosus'', also known as the common neacomys, common bristly mouse,Duff, A.; Lawson, A. 2004
Mammals of the World: A checklist
New Haven: A & C Black. . or bristly mouse, is a

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

rodent species from South America in the genus '' Neacomys''. It is found in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, Brazil,

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, Ecuador and Peru, where it often lives in transition areas between lowland forest and open regions. Its diet consists of insects, seeds and fruit.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by the British zoologist

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 1882. Three

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

are recognised; ''N. s. spinosus'', from the Andean foothills of Peru; ''N. s. carceloni'', from the Andean foothills of Colombia and Ecuador; and ''N. s. amoenas'', from the Amazon basin of western Brazil.

Description

''Neacomys spinosus'' is the largest mouse in the genus, with a head-and-body length of . The dorsal colouring is variable, with individuals from the central and western parts of its range being pale yellowish-brown mixed with black, or dark reddish-brown, whereas those from further east, in

Mato Grosso Mato Grosso ( – lit. "Thick Bush") is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest by area, located in the Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 1.9% of the Brazilian GDP. Neighboring ...

state, are a brighter, more ochre colour. There are short, grooved spines mixed in with the rather coarse fur on the back and the underparts are a pale colour. The skull is more robust than in other species in the genus and is long, with a relatively slender braincase.

Distribution and habitat

''N. spinosus'' has a very wide distribution encompassing much of the

Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

and the eastern foothills of the Andes. Its range extends from central and western Brazil to southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru and central and northern Bolivia. It mostly inhabits moist lowland, broad-leafed, forest as well as forested hilly areas at elevations of up to . It also occurs in more open locations on the edges of lowland forests, in secondary growth, in cultivated ground and gardens. In Brazil its range is shared with '' Neacomys minutus'' and '' Neacomys musseri''.

Ecology

This mouse is nocturnal and feeds on such things as seeds, fruits and insects. Breeding seems to take place throughout the year but may peak at the start of the wet season. The litter size varies from two to four young.

Status

The species has a very wide range and is described as common. The population size exhibits large swings at different times of the year, but the mouse is tolerant of habitat modification and no particular threats have been recognised, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of " least concern".

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q384767 Neacomys Rodents of South America Mammals of Bolivia Mammals of Brazil Mammals of Colombia Mammals of Ecuador Mammals of Peru Mammals described in 1882 Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas