The Mount Pulag tree-mouse (''Musseromys beneficus'') is a species 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 ...

in the family

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are the largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 1,383 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. The name Muridae come ...

. It is found on

Mount Pulag Mount Pulag ( fil, Bundok Pulag; ilo, Bantay Pulag) is Luzon's highest peak at above sea level, third-highest mountain in the Philippines, and the 26th-highest peak of an island on Earth. It is second-most prominent mountain in the Philippin ...

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

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 ...

Description

As for all members of the genus ''Musseromys'', they are small murids weighing between . They have tails of which are usually longer than the rest of their bodies . Three adult specimens were collected, now in the collections of the

Field Museum of Natural History The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educational ...

(FMNH): * an adult female (♀) (FMNH 198713), * an adult female (♀) (FMNH 198714, holotype), * an adult male (♂) (FMNH 198857). Their measurements are as follows :

Conservation

Data on this species endemic to the Philippines is, as of now, known from only one location. This particularity, alongside lack of knowledge on habitats and potential threats of the species, brought the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

to assess the Mount Pulag tree-mouse as "

Data Deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

References

Musseromys Mammals described in 2014 Mammals of the Philippines Endemic fauna of the Philippines {{Muridae-stub