The dark bolo mouse or dark-furred akodont (''Necromys obscurus'') 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

Cricetidae The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New World rats and mice. At almost 608 species, it is the second-largest family of mammals, and h ...

. There are two subspecies; one (ssp. ''scagliarum'') is found in eastern and central parts of Buenos Aires Province,

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, and the other (ssp. ''obscurus'') in coastal areas of southern

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

Description

The dark bolo mouse is the largest species in the genus, with a head-and-body length of about and a tail length of . The fur is fairly long and glossy. The dorsal surface is dark brown to brownish-black, the individual hairs having black bases and tips and pale central portions, giving the pelage an "agouti" appearance. The cheeks and flanks are tinged with orange or buff and the underparts are greyish, the hairs having yellowish tips. The tail is deep brown above and grey underneath, and the upper surfaces of the hands are dark, with dark fur mixed with some buff hairs on the feet.

Distribution and habitat

The dark bolo mouse is found in two separate locations; the coastal region of southern Uruguay, and the inland and coastal regions of eastern Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. The fossil record shows that at one time it had a wider distribution in Argentina. Its habitat includes grassland and the verges of cultivated fields, moist areas near streams, and rocky areas in hilly country.

Ecology

The dark bolo mouse is mainly diurnal and normally lives on the ground surface although it sometimes undertakes some burrowing activity. It is an omnivore and feeds on small invertebrates such as

crickets Crickets are orthopteran insects which are related to bush crickets, and, more distantly, to grasshoppers. In older literature, such as Imms,Imms AD, rev. Richards OW & Davies RG (1970) ''A General Textbook of Entomology'' 9th Ed. Methuen 8 ...

and

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s, as well as plant material.

Status

The dark bolo mouse has a fragmented area of distribution. It is fairly common where it does occur, but seems not to tolerate disturbance to the meadows areas where it lives. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature 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 nat ...

has assessed its conservation status as being "

near threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify f ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q306412 Necromys Mammals of Argentina Mammals of Uruguay Mammals described in 1837 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot