570.

Shortridge’s Mouse

Mus shortridgei

French: Souris de Shortridge / German: Shortridge-Stachelzwergmaus / Spanish: Ratén de Shortridge

Taxonomy. Leggadilla shortridgei Thomas, 1914,

“Mt. Popa, Upper Burma [= Myanmarj.”

Placed in subgenus Pyromys by J. T. Marshall in 1977, thus constituting its only representative in south-eastern Asia. However, there are no genetic data available to confirm its phylogenetic position. Monotypic.

Distribution. Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, NW Vietnam, and SW Cambodia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 95- 120 mm, tail 60-90 mm, ear 18mm, hindfoot 19-22 mm; weight 34 g. Distinctive, with its stiff, spiny fur, large ears, pointed muzzle, and small, dark, fragile gray tail (c¢.70% of head-body length). Dorsal pelage is gray brown, ventral pelage is grayish white. Females bear five pairs of mammae. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 46-49, FN = 48-52.

Habitat. Dry grass and clumps of small bamboo in open dry dipterocarp and pine forests; also amidst long grass and pygmy bamboo in deciduous forests.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. In captivity, Shortridge’s Mouse raises young inside a bamboo tube.

Activity patterns. Shortridge’s Mice are terrestrial and nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Shortridge’s Mouse is thought to build grass nestsabove the ground.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Corbet & Hill (1992), Francis (2008), Lekagul & McNeely (1977), Marshall (1977a), Suzuki & Aplin (2012).