The Macedonian mouse (''Mus macedonicus'') 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 n ...

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 comes ...

and order

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 ...

ia. This rodent lives in the area from eastern Georgia and western Bulgaria to Israel. It is considered part of a Paleoarctic group along with three other species: the

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''. Although ...

, steppe mouse, and

Algerian mouse The Algerian mouse (''Mus spretus''), also known as the western Mediterranean mouse, is a wild species of mouse closely related to the house mouse, native to open habitats around the western Mediterranean. Description The Algerian mouse close ...

Description

The Macedonian mouse is a small rodent, weighing . Fur color is variable across its range; in a study of numerous specimens in Turkey, Macedonian mice were found to have back colors ranging from dark brown to pale light brown to dark-reddish brown. There is a distinct line of demarcation along the flanks that separates top and bottom coloration. The bottom coloration ranged from whitish grey, pure white, yellowish white, and reddish white. The ears have tiny white hairs. This rodent has a tail that is dark brown on top and lighter on bottom. The bottoms of the Macedonian mouse's feet are bare while the tops of their feet have white hairs. Macedeonan mice are nocturnal.

Morphology

The '' sutura squamalis'' has distinction from other species because it is smoothed or protrudes slightly forward. The upper portion of the

zygomatic arch In anatomy, the zygomatic arch, or cheek bone, is a part of the skull formed by the zygomatic process of the temporal bone (a bone extending forward from the side of the skull, over the opening of the ear) and the temporal process of the zygo ...

is also narrower than the lower portion. Macedonian mice found in Israel are smaller than their northern counterparts.

Physiology

Body mass of Macedonian mice exposed to short photoperiods increased - essentially they got bigger to stay warmer when it is cold. The short photoperiods also increased their resistance to cold while long photoperiods increased their ability to manage higher temperatures. Food consumption and waste production are lower in the mice that have longer photoperiods. These physiological changes allow the mice to be well adapted to the changes that occur in the Mediterranean on a seasonal basis. This mouse also shows a genetic tendency for

glial fibrillary acidic protein Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a protein that is encoded by the ''GFAP'' gene in humans. It is a type III intermediate filament (IF) protein that is expressed by numerous cell types of the central nervous system (CNS), including astro ...

in their lens epithelial cells. This is a new marker of polymorphism in the genus ''Mus''.

References

*Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 ''in'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1769318 Mus (rodent) Mammals described in 1983 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot