The ash-colored Oldfield mouse (Thomasomys cinereus) is a species of rodent in the genus Thomasomys. It is found in montane forests of the Department of Cajamarca in northern Peru, at elevations of 1,524 to 3,818 metres (5,000 to 12,526 ft). Until 2023, it was thought to be more widely distributed, ranging into southern Ecuador, but these populations are now identified as three separate, closely related species, T. lojapiuranus, T. pagaibambensis, and T. shallqukucha.[2]

Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...
Ash-colored Oldfield mouse
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Sigmodontinae
Genus: Thomasomys
Species:
T. cinereus
Binomial name
Thomasomys cinereus
(Thomas, 1882)
Close

With a head-body length of 114 to 148 millimetres (4.5 to 5.8 in), Thomasomys cinereus is a medium-sized species for the genus. Distinguishing characteristics compared to its close relatives include, among others:[2]

  • Mystacial vibrissae (whiskers above the mouth) short (long in T. lojapiuranus and T. pagaibambensis)
  • Tail shorter than or equal to head and body (longer in the other three species)
  • Tail slightly paler above than below (same color above and below in the other species; T. pagaibambensis additionally has a white tail tip)
  • Incisive foramina long (short in T. shallqukucha and T. pagaibambensis)
  • Auditory bullae small (larger in the other species)

References

Wikiwand in your browser!

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.

Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.