The Ryukyu spiny rat (''Tokudaia osimensis'') 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.
Endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to
Amami Ōshima
, also known as Amami, is the largest island in the Amami archipelago between Kyūshū and Okinawa. It is one of the Satsunan Islands.
The island, 712.35 km2 in area, has a population of approximately 73,000 people. Administratively it is ...
island in the
Amami Islands
The The name ''Amami-guntō'' was standardized on February 15, 2010. Prior to that, another name, ''Amami shotō'' (奄美諸島), was also used. is an archipelago in the Satsunan Islands, which is part of the Ryukyu Islands, and is southwest of ...
of the
Ryukyu archipelago
The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara, Amami Islands, Amami, Okinawa Islands, Okinawa, and Sakis ...
of
Japan, its natural
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
is
subtropical moist broadleaf forest. The
karyotype has an odd
diploid number, 2n = 25.
[ Like its relative '' T. tokunoshimensis'', it has lost its ]Y chromosome
The Y chromosome is one of two sex chromosomes (allosomes) in therian mammals, including humans, and many other animals. The other is the X chromosome. Y is normally the sex-determining chromosome in many species, since it is the presence or abse ...
and ''SRY'' gene.
The species is threatened by habitat destruction
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...
and fragmentation, predation
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...
by feral cat
A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat (''Felis catus'') that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens ...
s and dogs and introduced mongooses
A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to ...
, and competition with introduced black rats.
See also
* ''Ellobius lutescens
The Transcaucasian mole vole (''Ellobius lutescens'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.
It is found in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Turkey.
Chromosomes
The karyotype has a low, odd, diploid number, 2n = 17,X. Transcau ...
''
* ''Ellobius tancrei
The Zaisan mole vole (''Ellobius tancrei''), or eastern mole vole, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in central Asia.
Description
The Zaisan mole vole is highly adapted to life underground. It grows to a head and body ...
''
References
Y-chromosome - Will it or will it not, hold on?
Rats of Asia
Endemic mammals of Japan
Endemic fauna of the Ryukyu Islands
Endangered fauna of Asia
Tokudaia
Mammals described in 1934
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Murinae-stub